Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) head Luka Burilovic said on Monday that Croatia needed more flexible labour legislation that would put emphasis on teleworking and the possibility to lay off workers more easily than was now the case.

Organising remote work in a better manner and flexibilizing employment contracts are to be regulated by the new law, on which Labour Minister Josip Aladrovic and 35 Croatian business people presented their views at a meeting organised by the HGK in Zagreb.

The business people and the minister said they also expected issues to be raised such as government support for the business sector during the coronavirus epidemic, a non-working Sunday, and the minimum wage for next year, which should be determined by the end of October.

“The new law should put emphasis on remote work and the possibility to lay off workers more easily. I do not think that good workers should be laid off, but there must be greater fluctuation,” Burilovic said before the meeting.

Croatia lost only 18,000 jobs due to pandemic

Burilovic said that owing to the measures taken, Croatia had lost only 18,000 jobs to the coronavirus pandemic but that the manufacturing and textile industries would need additional help.

Minister Alandrovic recalled the government’s aid for a shorter working week, measures for small business owners and those for job retention, noting that the government was not against well-substantiated proposals and would continue supporting the business sector.

The head of the KTC retail chain, Ivan Katavic, called on the government to regulate the issue of non-working Sunday, dismissing speculation that a ban on Sunday trading would result in the dismissal of 23,000 workers and a drop in GDP.

Katavic said that 97% of domestic retailers were in favour of a non-working Sunday but that foreign-owned retailers were against it, and called for a consensus on the matter.

Dario Vukadinovic, president of the association of road and cargo transporters at the HGK, called for making the labour market more flexible while retaining “a certain level of social security.”