Kdo v resnici pobira smetano slovenske gospodarske rasti?

| 24. november 2007 | Slovenija | Jure

ali zakaj sindikati vendarle niso padli na glavo…

Položaj:

When the Commission says that in the next two years exports will take over the role as the primary driver of economic growth in Slovenia, trade union bashers would be well advised to appreciate this fact. Falling unit labour costs flow directly from a deal between the unions and employers that has underpinned much of Slovenia’s growth over the last 15 years. By agreeing to limit wage increases to less than the productivity growth in a given period, Slovenian workers have continuously engaged in belt-tightening exercises to the benefit of their companies. Now, after a period of excellent performance by the Slovenian economy and strong profit growth, they feel it is time for a payback.

Argumenti proti dvigu plač:

It can be argued, as some do, that demands for higher wages are unjustified. After all, the average net wage has risen by 4,8% in real terms in the first eight months of the year, while the share of labour costs in Slovenian GDP, at 71,8% compared with Slovakia’s 46,9%, is already the third highest in the EU. Accommodation to worker’s demands, the argument goes, would only stoke inflation pressures and lead to lower profits for Slovenian companies.

In argumenti za:

Nevertheless, a brief look at statistics is always useful to gauge how the spoils have been divided. If in 2001 the share of wages and net corporate profits in GDP was 52.7% and 9.5% respectively, last year the share of wages fell to 51.4%, while the share of profits rose to 12.4%. It is therefore clear who has been benefiting disproportionately from the good economic times – and it was not the ordinary worker.

As far as increases in average wages are concerned, they mask wide differences between various sectors of the economy. In any case, wage growth has always lagged economic growth. In July, the spread was 2.8%. More importantly, given that about two-thirds of Slovenians take home less than an average wage each month, it is not hard to see why trade unions’ demands for higher wages have been met with sympathy in the wider public.

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