Negotiations between the government and public sector unions on a base salary increase continued on Monday morning with no breakthrough, making the prospect of a public service strike later this month increasingly imminent.

Labour Minister and public sector unions began negotiations last Thursday. The unions demand a 5.8 percent increase in base salaries in 2019, but the government is offering 3 percent, saying it is the maximum it can do within the constrains of the 2019 budget.

Nine public sector unions have rejected this proposal, announcing a strike of public services on November 28, which would be repeated for a single day afterwards every following week, until their demands are met.

The base pay in the public sector is used to calculate individual workers’ salaries, after multiplying them by coefficients which depend on jobs, work experience, and a number of other factors. The base pay increases would concern public services, which currently employ some 180,000 people, and another 60,000 working in the public administration.

Last week, Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said that the 3 percent increase – amounting to 900 million kuna (€121 million) – is the government’s best offer, while unions keep insisting on a 6 percent increase, which would cost around 1.75 billion kuna (€235 million). 

The legally mandated pre-strike procedure requires several meetings with employers, and the last of these is expected on Tuesday morning.

Before the Tuesday’s meeting at the Labour Ministry, unionist Stjepan Topolnjak from the health care and social services union said they expected the government to come forward with a “decent offer” which would not be lower than the unions’ minimum demands.

Topolnjak told reporters that the unions would agree to two separate increases over the coming year.

“We realise that the government can’t offer more as of January 1, so we would agree to a 3 percent rise as of January 1, and to another rise, another 3 percent minimum, as of July 1,” he said.

Lasat week, Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said that the 3 percent increase – amounting to 900 million kuna (€121 million) – is the government’s best offer. 

However, speaking after the meeting, Labour Minister Marko Pavic did not confirm or deny that the government is considering offering a two-part increase, with Pavic only saying that the talks would continue.

“We continue our talks in good faith, the final meeting is scheduled for tomorrow morning… We agreed that we would continue talking,” Pavic told reporters.

(€1 = 7.43 kuna)

Follow N1 via mobile apps for Android | iPhone/iPad | Windows| and social media on Twitter | Facebook.