No Sunshine for Seasonal Workers on Croatia's Coast

Croatia has registered a significant increase in tourist numbers this year so far, but success comes at a price for seasonal workers on the country's coast, as cooks, waiters, salespeople and others often work more than 12-hour shifts, with no days off, without contracts, and are placed in inadequate accommodation by their employers.

Eduard Andric, president of the Tourism and Services Trade Union of Croatia, told BIRN that the poor working conditions are the result of failures by the Labour Inspectorate, which he said should implement stricter controls.

"For inspectors, it is enough to see that the worker receives his minimum salary, and about the other things, they are not interested," Andric said.

He alleged that often inspectors and employers know each other well, and owners of restaurant or cafes often give inspectors food or drink on the house.

He also said that to reduce their tax payments, employers give workers parts of their salary in cash, and encourage staff not to give a receipt to customers.

By not giving a receipt, they can also hide the fact that the worker does not have a weekly day off. A worker either does not give a receipt or writes it in someone else's name, so on paper, it seems that the worker did not work that day.

Andric suggested that part of the reason for such scams was the rise in VAT for hotels, boarding houses, catering services and others providing accommodation from 13 to 25 per cent in January 2017.

"The tax policy implemented by the Croatian government has led to the greater prevalence of the black labour market, which was already present in Croatia," he said.

Photographs published by Croatian media released this week, showing workers' accommodation in the coastal town of Makarska,...