Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO) workers protested on Tuesday, saying work was poorly organised, wages were low and they were understaffed, as a result of which they would not be able to carry out the pension reform.

The protest was organised by a union active in the HZMO, whose leader, Visnja Stanisic, said there was a shortage of workers, whereas the number of supervisors, for whom job titles were being made up, was constantly rising.

“Our colleagues with many years of service have wages between HRK 3,800 and 4,200. Young people don’t want to come and work (for us) because the hourly wage at the Institute is lower than the hourly wage through the Student Service,” she said.

Another problem are unequal wages for the same jobs and the promotion of those who are acceptable, which has undermined interpersonal relationships in the workplace, Stanisic said, adding that the worker-supervisor ratio was 40:60.