Croatian PM Does Not Want Salary Reduction

Sanader stresses that Bebic spoke in the name of the parliament, whilst Vilim Ribic says that the story of reducing salaries is demagogy.

ZAGREB, CROATIA - Whilst the president of the Croatian parliament Luka Bebic announced that at the start of the next sitting at the end of January parliamentarians will discuss reducing their salaries, premier Ivo Sanader still has not decided if he will reduce anybody’s salary.

“Luka Bebic was speaking in the name of the Croatian parliament” said Sanader briefly, answering questions if he would reduce salaries to political officials.

He announced that he will meet with Bebic to see exactly what the Croatian parliament is proposing. However, it can be seen which stance he supports from his sentence:

“There is no selective implementation”.

Vilim Rebic, the president of the head of Croatian unions, also supported premier Sanader, saying that the system of salaries was made that all salaries depend on the same coefficients.

“That story comes from the kitchen of political demagogy” considers Ribic, and added that the work of the premier has its value.

Ribic: We need to remain principled, however much it costs

Ribic considers that a great problem is the Croatians lack principle, so they often stray away from what was agreed upon. You need to remain principled, however much it costs, said Ribic, whilst Sanader confirmed from the side.

“Parliamentarians’ salaries should not be reduced. If all salaries rose, then parliamentarians’ salaries should rise” concluded Ribic.

Remember, the discussion growth was started by the president of the SDP (Social Democratic Party) Zoran Milanovic, who said that in a year of crisis and recession, their salary growth is inappropriate. The SDP then announced that they will find a legal solution that would exclude political officials from the salary growth.