We don’t want to be paid arbitrarily; we want to agree on our pay. We are discussing salaries here, but not in a way that suggests we are striking for money. We are not asking for a 10% or 20% increase; we are striking on principle. We want to agree on our salaries, not have them imposed, said Tomislav Kiš, President of the strike committee.

Employees of student restaurants in Zadar have been on strike since yesterday and will remain on strike until their demands are met or until the strike committee decides to end the strike.

The Union’s negotiating committee suspended negotiations with the Student Standards Agency in Zadar due to the rejection of the Union’s proposals regarding Articles 40 and 82, as well as due to proposals from the Agency which, according to the workers, are demeaning and offensive. The Agency proposes that systematization should not be an integral part of the collective agreement. However, systematization includes the number of points assigned to each job position which, when multiplied by the point value, determines the final salary. The main issue for employees is that the value of the point would be excluded from the collective agreement and instead determined by the Agency’s Governing Council.

Open to talks

We don’t want to be paid arbitrarily; we want to agree on our pay. We are discussing salaries here, but not in a way that suggests we are striking for money. We are not asking for a 10% or 20% increase; we are striking on principle. We want to agree on our salaries, not have them imposed, said Tomislav Kiš, President of the strike committee.

He added that they are open to talks and called on Rector Vican, stating that there is no manipulation of workers, which the workers themselves can confirm.

“When someone starts signing on behalf of an institution, it means they are backing down and that they are in the wrong,” Kiš said.

Biserka Sertić, a member of the strike committee, expressed support from other student centers and mentioned the possibility of so-called solidarity strikes.

“They are not asking for an increase, they are not asking for more than they deserve; they are only asking for the right to negotiate and to have a say in how much their work is worth,” Sertić said.

Velida Matijević, Union commissioner of the Independent Union of Student Centers in Zadar, agreed with previous statements and said that some members had left the Union, raising the question of whether this was a free choice or the result of pressure from authorities.

“We are not a lower class; we are people,” Matijević added.

Kiš also commented on the engagement of students in serving meals during the strike, stating that it sends a bad message to young people—that they should not fight for their rights. He also noted the lack of student participation.

Rector without comment

With the exception of non-striking management, 15 out of 26 employees are on strike.

“Most of us have 1,850 points, which amounts to a net salary of 3,960 HRK, while those working at the cash register have 2,100 points, amounting to 4,800 HRK. And we prepare hot meals for more than 1,200 students every day. We would accept less given the situation, but it should apply to everyone, from top to bottom, not just us,” Matijević said.

Tanja Gulan, an employee of the student restaurant, used the example of new seating arrangements to illustrate adjustments for new workers, while noting that they themselves never received what they had requested.

Rector Vican, whom we contacted regarding the strike, said she had no comment.

In a statement, the University—as the founder of the Student Standards Agency—said it supports the democratic right of employees to strike but considers the strike unfounded for the following reasons: the Agency is not integrated into the University, and its employees already earn higher salaries than those in University organizational units; they are demanding rights significantly higher than those defined in the collective agreement for science and higher education, which could lead to unjustified inequalities between University and Agency employees; and during the period when student restaurants were closed, Agency employees were regularly paid.

Most students do not have an opinion, as they say they are not sufficiently familiar with the issue.

The article was originally published on October 17, 2020, on the Zadarski list portal under the title: “University cafeteria: ‘We strike on principle; we want to negotiate pay.’”

Home photo: Tomislav Kiš and striking workers in the Zadar university cafeteria (Zadarski list / Zvonko Kucelin)