Stojiljkovic: A quarter of Serbia below the poverty line (VIDEO, PODCAST) – Economy

The fact is that there is little trust in unions and a negative stereotype, and then it is more easily transmitted to union leaders.

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Unions have never had any kind of autonomy and influence, except in the time of Tucovic and Lapcevic, even when they were close to the authorities during communism and socialism, says Professor Zoran Stojiljkovic, president of United Branch Trade Unions “Independence” in the “Online Interview” section. Facebook page of the Danas newspaper.

He points out that it is difficult for union negotiators to negotiate the minimum wage because Serbia has fallen low and there are more and more poor people.

– Union negotiators feel horrible when they negotiate the lowest wages, and knowing that the minimum wage is insufficient to live on, we have come down terribly. How much is needed for a family of three, in which one member usually works, is a real question in bargaining strategy and is certainly more than the minimum wage. Minimal is a general category in Europe, of course. When you negotiate, you have to show that an increase is possible, from inflation to general productivity growth. For something to be declared minimal, the government and employers must agree. However, the question is whether the citizens themselves will agree to what is offered to them. The key argument will be the Ministry of Finance, says Zoran Stojiljković from Danas.

It emphasizes that a quarter of the population has fallen below the poverty line and that patronage and political obedience have contributed to this.

-The border of poverty has fallen and a quarter of the population is below and the stratification of society is great. The reason for this is that we do not have a sufficiently capable government, the public sector is dominated by obedient people, who are disciplined by the state. All are in good condition, from schools to public systems like the Post and Eps. On the other hand, the government cultivates a stern attitude towards entrepreneurial capital, which has received heavy subsidies, which pays workers a minimum plus 20 percent. That is why the most common salary in the country is 44,000 dinars. This means that we are in the zone of patriarchal employment and clientelism, and then it should not surprise us that it has not had an optimal and high enough growth, which would only get us out of this situation. We are a country that does not have the rule of law, does not have a decent democracy, balanced economic growth and a reduction in inequality. The three things did not happen in Serbia and let us wake up, think about our interests – says Stojiljković.

He stated that, together with colleagues from the Independent Trade Union of Serbia, the Economic and Social Council is negotiating a pension for 40 years of work experience and less than 65 years.

– It turns out that people were punished for the rest of their lives because they met the retirement condition earlier. That can be corrected, it would cost the state around 9 million euros for 30,000 citizens who are retired but do not meet the age requirement, for which they pay fines – explained Stojiljković.

He recalled that unions never had an autonomous history of struggles, nor were union leaders seen as people with autonomy and space for decision-making.

– It’s an objective charge. The other thing is, when you can’t criticize influential people, the least it hurts is if you criticize unions. It is an assessment that a union is an organization without much power and so there are not many reasons to influence it. The third thing, the stereotype that unions are immutable is quite justified because we have leaders who are immutable, with a low level of modern knowledge. The mistrust comes from the fact that the unions cannot solve some problems for the people – said Stojiljković.

You can listen to the full episode in THIS LINK.

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