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A schedule of all the main events involving Slovenia this week can be found here
This summary is provided by the STA:
Postal workers on strike over higher pay, more staff
LJUBLJANA/MARIBOR - Postmen at national postal company Pošta Slovenije went on strike demanding a 10% rise in wages and some 300 new staff. The Trade Union of Postal Workers said that 70% of postmen had joined what is the first ever strike at Pošta Slovenije and that the strike was supported by more than half of all employees. Responding to the strike, the management said it was willing to discuss a pay rise but in a way that would not jeopardise business and jobs. Meeting the demand for a 10% pay rise, which translates into EUR 12 million a year, would result in Pošta starting to generate loss in 2020, said director general Boris Novak. The damage caused to the copany has not yet been assessed, but the management said less than a third of postmen was on strike. The talks will resume on Tuesday.
Report pins blame for arbitration scandal on Slovenia's agent
LJUBLJANA - Simona Drenik, one of the Foreign Ministry officials who represented Slovenia in the Slovenian-Croatian border arbitration procedure, has been singled out as the person whose actions allowed Croatia to obtain wiretaps that ultimately led to Croatia rejecting arbitration, in what was a major scandal in 2015. The public portion of a classified report compiled by the parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Commission shows that despite receiving training from Slovenian intelligence services, she ignored security protocol and used an open land-line telephone to discuss arbitration with Slovenian arbiter Jernej Sekolec. The report implies that SOVA, Slovenia's intelligence agency, had done its job briefing officials about the requisite security measures. Drenik responded by saying she insisted she had not violated the law on classified information and noted that by investigating the matter, the parliamentary commission had exceeded its powers.
LMŠ, SDS neck and neck in Delo poll, support doubles for Left
LJUBLJANA - The senior coalition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) remains the most popular party in the country, according to the latest Delo poll, but it is now almost neck and neck with the opposition Democrats (SDS). Moreover, the opposition Left has climbed to third place, seeing its support rating double compared to the October poll. The LMŠ and SDS received 15.4% and 15.2%, respectively, losing 1.4 and 0.5 percentage points since the last poll. This is the closest the SDS has gotten to the LMŠ after the latter took the lead in the Mediana-conducted poll in February.
Bratušek, Čufer defend massive 2013 bank bailout as urgent
LJUBLJANA - Former PM Alenka Bratušek and her Finance Minister Uroš Čufer, who served from mid-March 2013 to mid-September 2014, defended the government's decision to bail out banks in December 2013, which cost taxpayers some EUR 5 billion, as they were interviewed by the parliamentary inquiry into suspected abuse of office at the bad bank. The bailout was key to avoid the European troika and encourage economic growth, Bratušek said. However, had it been carried out earlier, it would have been by EUR 2 billion cheaper, she said, pointing the finger at Finance Minister Franci Križanič and central bank Governor Marko Kranjec. Standing even more firmly behind Bratušek's government decision on the bailout, Čufer said the bank recapitalisation was adequate, noting "I'm truly proud of this period, we did a good job." He is convinced the state has already received back the invested money through the sales of claims by the bad bank or privatisations.
Supervisors dismiss Intereuropa CEO
KOPER - The supervisors of logistics company Intereuropa dismissed director general Ernest Gortan, citing a delay in introducing an adequate system of corporate governance and corruption detection and prevention. However, news portal Siol said the real reason was EUR 1.6 million worth of suspicious payments by the company's subsidiary in Croatia. Siol said the supervisors suspected the receipts for these payments may have been fictitious. The dismissal comes just over half a year after Gortan's term at the helm of the company, which he has led since mid-2009, was extended by two years and amidst a sale procedure that will see Intereuropa taken over by postal company Pošta Slovenije. Management member Marko Cegnar will take over as interim director general on Tuesday.
Slovenian job market remains tight
LJUBLJANA - The job market in Slovenia remains tight as the number of job vacancies remains high, show Employment Service figures. Demand is particularly high for skilled workers with technological know-how. In a country long grappling with precarious forms of employment, in particular among youths, the number of full-time posts on open-ended contracts has been increasing and such job offers now account for almost a third of all advertised positions. The highest number of open-ended job offers is in technology, almost 60%, with the shares also high in legal professions, business, management and consulting.
Petrol to hold general meeting on 12 December
LJUBLJANA - The shareholders of energy company Petrol will get an opportunity to learn more about the reasons for the 24 October resignation of the management board at an extraordinary general meeting scheduled for 12 December, according to a release posted on the website of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange. The new interim Petrol management called the general meeting after it was requested by Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH), which represents the interests of the state. The well-performing Tomaž Berločnik-led management resigned "by mutual agreement" after losing the trust of the supervisory board. The media was full of speculation about the reasons for the management and supervisory boards parting ways, as the supervisors provided little information about the background of the move, citing "significantly different views on the implementation of Petrol's 2018-2022 strategy".
Idea to loosen fiscal rule not gaining traction
LJUBLJANA - With Slovenia's economic growth gradually slowing, the ruling Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) has recently suggested it might be a good idea to loosen the fiscal rule, a constitutional provision that requires governments to run surpluses in all but the most desperate times. At present, the idea does not seem to be gaining a lot of traction. The government's problem is that the fiscal rule is enshrined in the Constitution and changing it would require a two-thirds majority in parliament, significantly beyond the reach of the current minority government. Even within the coalition's ranks the LMŠ idea is not universally accepted: the Modern Centre Party (SMC) is reserved considering that Slovenia's public debt remains high, having stood at nearly 68% of GDP in the second quarter of this year.
Experts urge politicians to tackle climate change immediately
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian scientists studying weather, climate and climate change presented an open letter to President Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec and the speakers of the lower and upper chambers of parliament, Dejan Židan and Alojz Kovšca, warning about the "threat of catastrophic climate change" and urging them to take immediate measures to mitigate the impact of and adjust to climate change. Despite studies showing that climate change endangers the lives of more than a billion people, causing mass extinction of animal and plant species and threatening with irreparable economic damage, Slovenia is one of the countries that are not willing to respond to the threat with decisive measures, the scientists said.
Days of Slovenian Tourism promote plastic-free tourism
LJUBLJANA - As part of the Days of Slovenian Tourism, the main tourism industry event in Slovenia, a campaign promoting environmentally friendly practices in the hoospitality sector was launched to reduce the use of disposable plastic products. According to the head of the Tourism and Hospitality Chamber, Andrej Prebil, Slovenian tourism has been transforming in the last few years, but its focus must be on staff training, improving products and services, and on sustainable developmen. The event will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday with a plenary featuring top tourism officials discussing the challenges ahead and the measures necessary to raise the added value of tourist services. Prime Minister Marjan Šarec will also address the event.
Study shows companies wait long time for payments by business clients
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian companies wait to get paid by their business clients for an average 81 days, according to a study by the EOS international organisation for claims management, highlighting this period is the longest among 17 participating countries. Nonetheless, the companies do not consider this a threat to their business. But according to Natalija Zupan of the EOS KSI group, the Slovenian branch of EOS, Slovenian companies waiting to get paid for such a long time means that the cycle of settling claims in the country is much slower, which has a negative impact on business productivity and efficiency.
Slovenian dominates the most extreme obstacle course race
LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Rea Kolbl has defended her title of the women's world champion in the top category at the Spartan Ultra obstacle course race in Sweden's Aare, covering 112 kilometres in difficult weather conditions and terrain in a challenge lasting a full 24 hours. The 28-year-old Slovenian was the last woman standing in the race in the elite category, and the only one to run the last, 14th lap, to celebrate victory in what was probably the most difficult course in the history of the series.
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