Several thousand workers from the Slovenian public sector gathered in front of the government headquarters in Ljubljana to demand higher salaries on January 24. The strike affected institutions including schools, universities, kindergartens, hospitals, social care and state administration.

Public sector workers have been demanding higher salaries for a while but the January 24 rally puts pressure on the government prior to the parliamentary elections in June. 

There is a common practice across the region of increasing the pay of various groups prior to elections. Slovenian workers are probably even more motivated to protest now as outcome of June’s elections is completely unpredictable right now.

About 30,000 employees participated in the strike organised by 16 trade unions, according to Slovenian Press Agency (STA). The rally, which the unions estimate attracted a crowd of between 4,000 and 5,000, was also joined by representatives of the unions not on strike and those who are not allowed to stop work.

“Today's strike is not about the elites fighting to improve their situation, it's a fight of all of us to improve our situation," Lidija Jerkic, the president of the powerful ZSSS trade union confederation, told protestors, STA reported.

Protesters also demanded the cancellation of saving measures introduced several years ago when the country faced financial crisis.

“Although this is the fifth year of economic growth some wage restrictions imposed in 2012 have not been lifted yet. It is time to scrap all restrictions and increase wages,” said Jakob Pocivavsek, the unions’ head of strike coordination, Reuters reported on January 24.

He told Reuters public sector wages should rise by 16% to 20% over a period of time due to be determined in negotiations with the government.

However, the government repeated that the strike was unwarranted, arguing that the wage bill in the public sector has increased by 10% over the past two years. It also noted that the average pay in the public sector rose by 7% in the same period, rising faster than in the private sector for the fourth year running, STA reported.

The average monthly gross wage in Slovenia amounted to €1,756.95 in November, increasing 8.4% in nominal terms and 9.1% in real terms compared to October, the statistical office announced on January 15. The net wage in Slovenia totalled €1,151.76 in November. In annual terms, gross wages went up by 4.1% and net by 5.9%. According to the latest statistical office data, in monthly terms, average net earnings for November were higher in both sectors, in the private sector by 12.7% and in the public sector by 3.2%. In the general government institutional sector there were no significant changes.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) said that gross salaries in the public sector rose by €345 in the past decade, but only €300 in the private sector.

The number of employees in the public sector in this period grew by 20,000, while dropping by 31,000 in the private sector, the GZS added, STA reported.

Even though the government has been expressing its commitment to continue dialogue, it claims that the strike demands set by the unions, estimated at €990mn, are "absolutely beyond" the country’s fiscal means, according to STA.

Business associations came out strongly against pay rises in the public sector, repeating their position that the government should lower taxes to pre-crisis levels, STA said.

Should the government continue to ignore their demand for higher wages and an end to austerity, the unions have threatened that the January 24 token strike would be followed by a longer one in the future, the news agency said.