The round table, that gathered some 50 representatives of employers, universities, and local and regional self-government, was organised by the Rijeka branch of the Croatian Employers' Association. The meeting focused on the economic importance of employers, their social reputation and position on the labour market.
Jurcic said the fundamental objective of every society was to increase the living standard, adding that this was impossible without adequate salaries, pensions and dividends.
He stressed that there were 1.4 million employees in Croatia, of whom 800,000 carried the heaviest burden of providing for the entire population. Most of the people have jobs in the private sector, while 140,000 people work in the public sector.
Mladen Vedris from the Zagreb Law School said that drastic social differences were created in Croatia due to the forced privatisation process during the Homeland War and the implementation of a neo-liberal economy policy.
Commenting on the power of politicians and employers, Vedris said they had great but also vulnerable power, adding that none of them could be successful without being socially responsible and that employers in Croatia realised that they must be fair if they want to be successful.