Zagreb - Opposition parties in the Croatian parliament warned on Wednesday that the minimum wage did not cover living costs because half the people receiving the minimum wage had trouble making ends meet, while members of the ruling coalition claimed that the minimum wage had never increased faster.
Marin Miletić (Bridge) said that the proposed increase in the monthly minimum wage from €840 to €970 gross was not enough for an average four-member family with two children. "Workers should be able to live decently on their wages, but that is not the case in Croatia today."
Majda Burić of the ruling HDZ said that during the governments of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković the minimum wage had increased by 103%, adding that with the announced increase from next year the minimum wage would rise by 134% in total.
"The increase in the minimum wage has never been higher and faster, and there is a praiseworthy ambition on the part of the government to increase the minimum wage by the end of the present term to at least €1,250," Burić said.
She noted that during the SDP-led government of Prime Minister Zoran Milanović the minimum wage had risen by a mere €29, while during the Plenković government it had increased by €556. "In 2015, the SDP government raised the minimum wage by a mere 0.4% or €1.58."
Her statement prompted reactions from several MPs, with Miletić saying that the opposition were talking about people barely making ends meet while she was talking about her friends from the elite.
Ivica Ledenko (Bridge) said that Burić was misleading the public by painting "a picture of reality that is not true." He said that Croatia ranks 15th in the eurozone regarding the minimum wage, while neighbouring Slovenia ranks 7th, with a 50% higher minimum wage than Croatia's.
Ivan Račan (SDP) pointed out that what Burić said was not true because all the increases were eaten up by inflation.
Ivan Dabo of the Homeland Movement, a member of the ruling coalition, said that Croatia could not be compared to Slovenia because Croatia had had the Homeland War and had been under pressure form a large number of refugees, to which Ledenko said: "Who should we compare ourselves to if not Slovenia? I guess we won't compare ourselves to Luxembourg where the average wage is €2,300."
Jelena Miloš (We Can!) announced that her party would demand that the minimum wage be calculated based on the real cost of living using a clear and transparent formula. They would also demand that the minimum wage did not include the length of service and that it be adjusted twice a year for inflation.
Anka Mrak Taritaš (GLAS) called on the ruling coalition to get out of their "ivory tower" to see how people lived and what they were doing to keep young skilled workers in Croatia.