Krajniak’s appeal will continue on Thursday: According to Fico, the meeting was embarrassing, the submitters left – Topky.sk

Opposition deputies blame the minister for millions of euros in pandemic aid that the state was supposed to send to mailbox companies. They argue that there is no doubt about the need to derive political responsibility for the Minister of Labor. At the same time, first aid for employees, employers and self-employed persons was insufficient.

They also criticize the abolition of social measures. “The Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and the Family Milan Krajniak bears a decisive degree of responsibility for the systematic disintegration of the basic pillars of the welfare state in Slovakia by the current government and the coalition,” state in the explanatory memorandum to the proposal.

Krajniak bears the degree of responsibility for the disintegration of the welfare state

According to Ján Richter, MP of the Smer-SD, the Minister of Labor Milan Krajniak (We Are a Family) has a degree of responsibility for the systematic disintegration of the pillars of the welfare state in Slovakia. He stated this at an extraordinary meeting at which the Plenum of the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic discusses the opposition’s proposal to express no confidence in the Minister.

Richter said that a separate chapter of Krajniak’s failure is the story of the so-called First aid for employees, employers and sole traders. According to him, it is described, also on the basis of international comparisons, as one of the weakest, most complex and slowest aid within developed countries. “Our call for a significant increase in the intensity of this assistance for all categories of affected people and companies has meanwhile been confirmed by surveys conducted by employers’ associations as well as independent experts.” Richter said.

Source: TASR / Jakub Kotian

“In response to a desperate call from failing and dismissing employers who received no or no adequate compensatory aid from the ministry, a recent report on the likely fraud of € 24 million in state first aid from only one labor, social affairs and family office in Pezinok to land on the accounts of foreign mailbox companies without real employees, “ Richter said.

According to him, it is likely that the funds to rescue companies in crisis will not return. “It is obvious that the ministry under the leadership of Krajniak neglected the whole control system and for a long time tried to sweep the case under the rug,” Richter stated. He said that there was no doubt about the need to derive Krajniak’s political responsibility.

Richter continued that the real actions of the ministry under the leadership of Krajniak were in conflict with the content of the program statement of the Slovak government and the declared election promises of the We Are the Family movement, which nominated him for the position. “Instead of protecting years of modeled parameters of the welfare state and adopting quick and effective solutions to current problems in a crisis situation, we are witnessing the liquidation of existing certainties,” commented. According to him, the dialogue of the social partners under Krajniak’s leadership failed already at the beginning of the current election period. Especially in terms of content, processes, access and communication. This concerned not only anti-pandemic measures, but also proposed legislative changes.

Source: Topky – Ján Zemiar

According to Richter, Krajniak achieved a weakening of labor rights and employees’ rights by intervening in the Labor Code, reducing the legally guaranteed minimum wage, reducing six levels of the minimum wage according to work intensity, reducing bonuses for night work, weekends, overtime and also abolishing . “These steps alone have deprived approximately 1.2 million employees of almost € 900 million over the past year,” Richter mentioned.

Source: TASR / Jakub Kotian

“Likewise, the Slovak seniors, to whom We Are Family Promises before the election, were deceived immediately after the election by canceling the 13th pension, cutting more than 280 million euros. pensions for 2022, “ criticized Richter.

He continued that the families received the abolition of the area subsidy for lunches for each child in primary school and in the last year of kindergarten. Furthermore, according to him, the Ministry of Labor did not respond well enough to the frustration of families during the pandemic of the new coronavirus. He added that another example of failure to function is Krajniak’s inability to respond to rising prices when energy, food and other commodity prices rise. “The ministry itself has not yet presented a single realistic solution,” Richter mentioned.

In the case of First Aid, I acted within an hour, the inspection worked, says Krajniak

The First Aid Control System has been set up and operated. Minister of Labor Milan Krajniak (We are a family) also acted within an hour of finding out that there are suspicious payments. The head of the ministry said this on Wednesday in a debate on a proposal to remove him from office. In particular, the opposition blames him for millions of euros in pandemic aid that the state was supposed to send to mailbox companies.

Krajniak emphasized that he reacted to the findings immediately, communicated with the police president within an hour, and at the same time a check was made at the labor office in Pezinok to identify all suspicious payments. He noted that advance checks were also carried out, not just ex-post random checks. “Based on the control system set up, these payments have been identified,” claims. At the same time, he noted that in most countries, pandemic aid was paid on sworn statement, precisely so that it could be paid off as quickly as possible.

Together, he said, the ministry paid out aid amounting to 3.3 billion euros. Krajniak also compared the disbursement of aid during the current crisis and during the crisis in 2008-2010. “Our government has paid eight times more money to help people in the first year and a half since the beginning of the economic crisis than yours,” declared.

Source: Topky / Vlado Anjel

Opposition MP Ladislav Kamenický (Smer-SD) noted that the government was helping at least within the European Union (EU), while also pointing to debt. “We also learned that the system was set up correctly, but 24 million euros flew up the chimney and nothing happened.” Ľubomír Vážny, a member of Smer-SD, reacted to Krajniak’s speech.

The appeal of Milan Krajniak continues on Thursday, the submitters left the hall

The extraordinary meeting devoted to the motion of censure on Minister of Labor Milan Krajniak (We Are a Family) will continue on Thursday (November 4) from 9.00 am. The leader of the opposition Smer-SD, Robert Fico, asked in the debate all the proposers to leave the hall. He declared that they required only respect and respect, which they did not receive. He described the meeting as “embarrassing”.

According to Fico, a coalition cannot function on the principle that everyone in this government is irrevocable. He claims that they must learn to take responsibility for the price of tension in the coalition. “We also did all sorts of trouble, but we paid a political price for it,” he added. He stated that he saw no reason to continue the meeting in the evening. He pointed out that there were only a few deputies in the plenary, neither the minister nor anyone who would come to support him was present. He also criticized the absence of journalists.

Source: TASR / Jakub Kotian

He noted that as a standard political party, they demand only respect and esteem. “Since you cannot show us that respect and esteem, I ask all the submitters to leave the hall of the National Council and we will continue tomorrow in normal time.” declared Fico. Parliament’s Vice-President Gábor Grendel (OĽANO) therefore adjourned the sitting until Thursday morning, when the extraordinary sitting should continue.

The extraordinary 50th session of Parliament opened on Wednesday evening. The following spoke: the applicants, but also the Minister for Labor. Opposition deputies blame the minister for millions of euros in pandemic aid that the state was supposed to send to mailbox companies. Krajniak defends himself by acting within an hour of finding out that there are suspicious payments, the control also working according to him.