WEBVTT

00:00:00.001 --> 00:00:07.627
Hello to everyone who
achieved today's historic feat.

00:00:07.870 --> 00:00:12.136
After 15 years, we're
sitting at a table

00:00:12.257 --> 00:00:16.303
where we signed a new
collective wage agreement.

00:00:16.630 --> 00:00:22.043
Not only are there more
of you than expected,

00:00:22.157 --> 00:00:25.223
but there are so many of you
that this signing

00:00:25.397 --> 00:00:27.883
has been given a true legitimacy.

00:00:28.023 --> 00:00:32.249
I trust we've all realized
that the government

00:00:32.417 --> 00:00:37.276
has shown a readiness
to cooperate throughout.

00:00:37.397 --> 00:00:42.195
We've emphasized this, and today
represents the crowning achievement

00:00:42.316 --> 00:00:44.336
of our negotiations.

00:00:44.616 --> 00:00:48.363
In the wake of this agreement,
which was achieved through

00:00:48.550 --> 00:00:53.497
social dialog and where we stuck
to the rules

00:00:53.663 --> 00:00:56.283
of respectful dialog throughout,

00:00:56.423 --> 00:01:01.377
we proved to everyone,
and most of all ourselves,

00:01:01.503 --> 00:01:07.110
that only such an approach can bring
sustainable results.

00:01:07.243 --> 00:01:14.883
I'm grateful to both the public
sector negotiating team

00:01:15.004 --> 00:01:19.643
and the government's team
for helping to bring us here.

00:01:19.803 --> 00:01:25.623
This gratitude comes
both from me and on behalf

00:01:25.797 --> 00:01:29.602
of all employees
in the public sector.

00:01:29.723 --> 00:01:34.443
I believe that this will become even
more apparent in the months ahead,

00:01:34.623 --> 00:01:39.130
when people begin to receive

00:01:39.263 --> 00:01:42.270
more decent wages.
This is especially true

00:01:42.403 --> 00:01:49.056
of the almost 30,000
full-time public sector employees

00:01:49.183 --> 00:01:53.443
who had received less
than the minimum wage.

00:01:53.550 --> 00:01:57.376
They were locked in
and any promotions

00:01:57.497 --> 00:01:59.883
made no difference to them.

00:02:00.023 --> 00:02:03.783
They were also afraid of retirement
because they knew

00:02:03.943 --> 00:02:08.350
that they would only have problems
calculating their pension basis.

00:02:08.483 --> 00:02:12.910
For them, this is a historic day,

00:02:13.031 --> 00:02:18.630
and I hope
that further steps will follow.

00:02:19.637 --> 00:02:27.636
This case demonstrates the need
for social dialog.

00:02:27.797 --> 00:02:31.936
Without mutual respect, we'd
never have gotten here,

00:02:32.057 --> 00:02:35.643
in part because there
are so many interests,

00:02:35.764 --> 00:02:37.896
but we showed it could be done.

00:02:38.017 --> 00:02:40.370
It's wasn't always easy or quick,

00:02:40.517 --> 00:02:45.396
but the result is what
we had all wanted.

00:02:45.803 --> 00:02:49.363
I sincerely want to thank everyone.

00:02:49.997 --> 00:02:52.982
I won't say "see you
in the next battle,"

00:02:53.103 --> 00:02:57.262
because I trust we won't have one,
but we'll have more dialog,

00:02:57.383 --> 00:03:01.103
because that never stops
and is forward-looking.

00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:04.316
Thank you very much.

00:03:10.103 --> 00:03:14.223
Mr. Prime Minister, the government
negotiation team,

00:03:14.370 --> 00:03:16.056
dear colleagues.

00:03:16.243 --> 00:03:24.076
Hello. Today is an important day.
I agree with the Prime Minister.

00:03:24.230 --> 00:03:29.270
We're all happy after
two years

00:03:29.443 --> 00:03:32.696
when things
sometimes looked different.

00:03:32.817 --> 00:03:39.809
We were angry at each other,
but we persisted until the end.

00:03:39.930 --> 00:03:44.810
That's why our joy is justified.
I hope things aren't

00:03:45.057 --> 00:03:48.603
like they're often at birth,
when everyone is happy,

00:03:48.743 --> 00:03:51.596
but postpartum depression
sets in later.

00:03:51.717 --> 00:03:56.310
That also needs to be addressed.

00:03:57.150 --> 00:04:02.670
If you ask me whether

00:04:04.270 --> 00:04:07.883
we set up a wage system
and fixed the status

00:04:08.010 --> 00:04:11.823
of public sector employees
as we needed to,

00:04:11.970 --> 00:04:15.903
and that's something I've often
been asking myself,

00:04:16.077 --> 00:04:20.036
we probably need to wait
for the answer,

00:04:20.163 --> 00:04:26.903
but it's clear what the wage
reforms should enable.

00:04:27.024 --> 00:04:35.016
First, it needs to slow down,
if not outright prevent,

00:04:35.163 --> 00:04:41.569
people from leaving
the public sector.

00:04:41.697 --> 00:04:45.763
This includes both support
personnel and experts.

00:04:45.917 --> 00:04:49.403
The wage reform needs
to be more stimulative

00:04:49.524 --> 00:04:53.129
to ensure that young experts
in particular

00:04:53.250 --> 00:04:57.216
join the public sector
because if we wish to maintain

00:04:57.363 --> 00:05:01.883
the quality of public services,
that's a must.

00:05:02.877 --> 00:05:08.496
The reform should contribute
to the further strengthening

00:05:08.657 --> 00:05:13.990
of quality public services
in public healthcare, education,

00:05:14.130 --> 00:05:17.636
culture, social services,

00:05:17.777 --> 00:05:24.816
as well as public safety.

00:05:24.930 --> 00:05:31.489
A necessary precondition for this
is that public sector employees

00:05:31.617 --> 00:05:37.316
are at least somewhat satisfied
with their status.

00:05:37.470 --> 00:05:42.610
If the reform doesn't
lead to those effects,

00:05:42.777 --> 00:05:46.003
then, Mr. Prime Minister, we'll need

00:05:46.163 --> 00:05:52.056
to tackle other measures
as soon as possible,

00:05:52.177 --> 00:05:57.043
because for Slovenia,
a quality public sector

00:05:57.164 --> 00:06:00.856
represents a highly valuable
competitive advantage

00:06:00.983 --> 00:06:04.629
compared to other countries
and we should do everything

00:06:04.750 --> 00:06:10.756
to preserve it. I'd like to mention
two things about these reforms

00:06:10.897 --> 00:06:14.296
that I feel will become permanent.

00:06:14.463 --> 00:06:18.410
You mentioned one of them,
Mr. Prime Minister.

00:06:18.531 --> 00:06:23.089
That's that no one will be paid
less than the minimum wage,

00:06:23.210 --> 00:06:30.689
which will improve the status
of the lowest-paid employees.

00:06:31.303 --> 00:06:36.723
You mentioned the extent
of this problem.

00:06:36.850 --> 00:06:44.169
About 30,000 people had wages
below the minimum.

00:06:44.323 --> 00:06:48.043
Another important, permanent
achievement

00:06:48.143 --> 00:06:52.449
is the fact that public service
wages will be adjusted

00:06:52.543 --> 00:06:56.869
for inflation every year,

00:06:56.990 --> 00:07:00.776
so the process will no longer
depend on whether we reach

00:07:00.897 --> 00:07:05.923
an agreement. This will
enable, in the long term,

00:07:06.070 --> 00:07:12.389
the valuation of this work
to reflect its true value.

00:07:12.710 --> 00:07:19.796
I join you in emphasizing
the importance of social dialog.

00:07:20.730 --> 00:07:25.670
It's my firm belief that these
two-year-long negotiations

00:07:25.830 --> 00:07:31.483
contributed to Slovenia's return
from the edge

00:07:31.637 --> 00:07:37.810
toward countries with
traditional participatory democracy

00:07:37.931 --> 00:07:41.196
where social partnerships
are respected

00:07:41.323 --> 00:07:44.470
and where we employees
have a real influence

00:07:44.603 --> 00:07:46.936
on our working conditions.

00:07:47.083 --> 00:07:52.130
The government certainly
needed to travel a significant path

00:07:52.257 --> 00:07:56.056
to bring us together
and that's valuable.

00:07:56.203 --> 00:07:59.749
I would also like
to extend my thanks

00:07:59.910 --> 00:08:02.103
to my fellow union leaders

00:08:02.223 --> 00:08:07.369
who managed to persevere
together at the same table,

00:08:07.530 --> 00:08:12.430
government negotiators
who kept their sanity

00:08:12.551 --> 00:08:17.216
even when you were on the edge,
and most of all the experts

00:08:17.370 --> 00:08:20.523
on both the government's
and the unions' side.

00:08:20.657 --> 00:08:24.183
You made an enormous
contribution

00:08:24.304 --> 00:08:28.956
toward making this possible,
especially in the last few weeks,

00:08:29.090 --> 00:08:34.609
when government and union
representatives, mostly women,

00:08:34.770 --> 00:08:39.056
worked night and day.
That is the best proof

00:08:39.183 --> 00:08:43.616
that work in the public
sector is demanding

00:08:43.737 --> 00:08:48.283
and extensive, and that the notion
that people in the public sector

00:08:48.430 --> 00:08:52.669
don't work much is a myth.
Prime Minister, thank you.

00:08:57.963 --> 00:09:02.390
Thank you to the Prime Minister
and the ministries,

00:09:02.511 --> 00:09:06.343
as well as members
of the negotiation teams.

00:09:06.463 --> 00:09:11.120
I also feel that today
is an important day,

00:09:11.250 --> 00:09:14.336
and I'm not sure whether everyone

00:09:14.516 --> 00:09:19.816
is fully aware of the work done

00:09:19.937 --> 00:09:25.623
over the past two years
of wage negotiations.

00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:32.549
When the Act on the Common Framework
of the Public Sector Wage System

00:09:32.723 --> 00:09:36.163
was passed, I said
it was a house of cards,

00:09:36.283 --> 00:09:40.196
but we've managed to take
that house and strengthen

00:09:40.317 --> 00:09:45.076
its foundation in our concluding
negotiations.

00:09:45.290 --> 00:09:51.329
Many unions that signed
the agreement today

00:09:51.477 --> 00:09:57.370
recognized our efforts
during these negotiations.

00:09:57.497 --> 00:10:03.990
We're satisfied that we managed
to fulfill most of our goals,

00:10:04.110 --> 00:10:08.643
especially in terms
of the pay scale

00:10:08.770 --> 00:10:12.796
and the fact that public sector
employees will no longer

00:10:12.917 --> 00:10:16.259
have wages lower
than the minimum wage.

00:10:16.387 --> 00:10:20.623
We fulfilled our goal of setting
the minimum wage,

00:10:20.744 --> 00:10:25.164
as the lowest pay grade,
which is something we keep telling

00:10:25.285 --> 00:10:28.056
the private sector,
and I'm convinced

00:10:28.210 --> 00:10:32.130
that this agreement will have
a long-term effect

00:10:32.251 --> 00:10:37.489
on wages in the private sector,
where some collective

00:10:37.637 --> 00:10:41.916
bargaining agreements
have included this principle.

00:10:42.030 --> 00:10:47.450
I believe that the willingness
of both sides to compromise

00:10:47.583 --> 00:10:52.376
demonstrated a sense of solidarity,

00:10:52.590 --> 00:10:56.160
because of our ability
to solve the issue

00:10:56.290 --> 00:10:59.856
of equalization in the bottom third
of the pay scale,

00:10:59.990 --> 00:11:03.589
which the unions have been
cautioning about for years,

00:11:03.777 --> 00:11:08.356
and which seemed
virtually impossible until recently.

00:11:08.497 --> 00:11:12.176
Of course, this was also
about allowing a certain level

00:11:12.350 --> 00:11:17.190
of wage compression
in the higher pay grades.

00:11:17.337 --> 00:11:20.656
I believe that this display
of solidarity

00:11:20.803 --> 00:11:26.523
is an important takeaway
of today's event.

00:11:27.617 --> 00:11:32.690
I'm confident that our agreement
regarding the wage system

00:11:32.850 --> 00:11:36.483
will introduce many new features
and improvements

00:11:36.610 --> 00:11:40.895
for public sector employees
to improve their status.

00:11:41.016 --> 00:11:47.856
The two most important
changes are undoubtedly

00:11:47.997 --> 00:11:53.789
the improved status of those
below or just above the minimum wage

00:11:53.917 --> 00:11:59.069
and the fact that pay grades will
be adjusted, at least in part,

00:11:59.217 --> 00:12:06.590
for inflation. These achievements
will have long-term effects.

00:12:06.717 --> 00:12:12.323
I sincerely hope
that what we have agreed

00:12:12.483 --> 00:12:16.463
will contribute to making
public sector employment

00:12:16.597 --> 00:12:22.356
more attractive and enable more
expert hiring in the sector.

00:12:22.497 --> 00:12:25.529
However, wages are
not the only problem

00:12:25.650 --> 00:12:28.629
that public sector employees
are facing,

00:12:28.757 --> 00:12:33.869
and that we'll need to make
a concerted effort in other areas

00:12:33.997 --> 00:12:36.136
to improve their status.

00:12:36.243 --> 00:12:40.129
Certainly, today's agreement
is an important contribution

00:12:40.277 --> 00:12:43.941
to the strengthening
of public services in Slovenia.

00:12:44.062 --> 00:12:47.395
Even though we signed
this today, we still have

00:12:47.537 --> 00:12:51.548
a lot of hard work ahead of us,
both in raising awareness

00:12:51.669 --> 00:12:55.510
of the public and public sector
employees about the system

00:12:55.631 --> 00:13:03.110
and a relatively difficult period
of implementing the system,

00:13:03.290 --> 00:13:06.596
where much of the work
will be done by employers

00:13:06.717 --> 00:13:11.168
and expert bodies, which will need
to prepare everything needed

00:13:11.289 --> 00:13:14.516
to make this function
relatively seamlessly.

00:13:14.683 --> 00:13:21.110
I'd like to conclude by pointing out

00:13:21.277 --> 00:13:26.436
that this long and demanding process
has contributed to strengthening

00:13:26.557 --> 00:13:30.696
both social dialog and trust
between unions

00:13:30.870 --> 00:13:33.303
and government negotiators.

00:13:33.443 --> 00:13:36.636
We've managed to set up several
good practices

00:13:36.797 --> 00:13:39.330
during the course
of our negotiations,

00:13:39.497 --> 00:13:42.683
and I hope we'll be able
to use them elsewhere,

00:13:42.804 --> 00:13:47.203
not just in public sector
negotiations. Finally, I'd also like

00:13:47.324 --> 00:13:51.169
also like to thank
my colleagues on the union side

00:13:51.317 --> 00:13:55.516
and the negotiators
on the government side,

00:13:55.650 --> 00:14:02.350
including the Finance Minister,
who played an important role,

00:14:02.463 --> 00:14:08.656
as well as expert teams
on both sides

00:14:08.750 --> 00:14:12.209
who did a tremendous job
during negotiations

00:14:12.330 --> 00:14:15.876
regarding umbrella agreements
and the pay grades.

00:14:15.997 --> 00:14:19.516
Considering the short time we had
available, we might

00:14:19.637 --> 00:14:23.209
not have reached a resolution
without them.

00:14:23.337 --> 00:14:29.196
I'd like to thank everyone,
and I wish you a nice day.