Following the trend announced yesterday that city companies still do not know how much of a Christmas bonus they will pay their employees Novi sindikat, the majority union in the company, reacted strongly today. If the employees of Mladost do not receive a Christmas bonus of HRK 2,500, they will initiate lawsuits.
Tomislav Kiš, General Secretary of Novi sindikat, was the president of the Negotiating Committee for the Collective Agreement signed in Mladost less than a month ago. He expressed surprise that Mladost claimed they do not yet know the amount of the bonus.
“Of course, I am surprised by such a statement; I assume it was made by someone quite frivolous or short-sighted. On October 27 less than a month ago we signed a collective agreement where Article 95 states that workers are entitled to a special supplement payable by December 20th each year. This amount is 50% of the non-taxable limit which is now HRK 5,000 but no less than HRK 1,500,” said Kiš.
He also explained the reasoning behind the HRK 1,500 minimum: “The non-taxable part was raised, but anything raised can be lowered. This is a protective measure. To use the language of our politicians when they justify things: if there is a ‘COVID pandemic 26’ or a war in Afghanistan… if an economic situation arises where the non-taxable part is reduced below HRK 1,500, this ensures the bonus cannot fall below that minimum,” Kiš explained.
With the non-taxable limit set at HRK 5,000 this year, Kiš says the math is clear: “That is HRK 2,500. We have the same provision for vacation recourse. Only HRK 1,500 was paid, so we can ask: what about the HRK 1,000 difference? We will start claiming that if such information continues to come from Mladost. They really surprise me I would say they make me angry but then you think: why be angry? They simply don’t know what they are doing,” said Kiš.
Everything is clear, he concluded, adding: “If someone from the directors of city companies the director of Mladost or anyone else dares to behave like some kind of ‘aggregator’ (a new term from the Labor Law currently in process), we will sue for every penny. These are cases easily won through a collective agreement, and then we will ask: who is responsible for the court costs?”
In Mladost, Novi sindikat is the majority union with about 40 members. Kiš believes the collective agreement will ultimately be respected and the employees will be paid their HRK 2,500 Christmas bonus.
The text was originally published on November 23, 2022 under the title NOVI SINDIKAT: If Christmas bonuses are not HRK 2,500 in Mladost, we will initiate lawsuits! Let them read the collective agreement!
