Croatian independent trade union federation (SSSH) suggested on Sunday that companies that had fired workers due to the corona crisis should be entitled to job retention subsidies provided that they hired the same workers on a permanent basis.

The SSSH recalls that it has recently called on employers not to panic and hastily dismiss workers, urging them to show patience, social responsibility and dialogue.

Following the latest set of measures proposed by the government to prop up businesses and save jobs, the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP) earlier on Sunday welcomed the announcement by the Labour Ministry that grants for saving jobs during the corona crisis will also be made available to companies that were forced to lay off workers before the latest set of government measures.

The HUP said on Sunday that it was pleased with the ministry’s announcement that the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) steering board would on Monday grant the HUP’s request that employers who had had to dismiss workers due to the crisis, before the government designed the so-called April package of measures, would also be entitled to subsidies as envisaged in that latest set of measures.

The SSSH said today that it also supported the HUP’s request for enabling employers who dismissed in hasty manner workers at the start of the corona crisis to apply for subsidies provided that they re-employ those workers on a permanent basis.

The SSH also called for prevention of misuse of state subsidies.