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CESI meets Slovak government`s representativeIn a meeting in Bratislava, a CESI delegation - led by CESI Secretary General Klaus Heeger and Sloves President Maria Mayerova - met with the Slovak Secretary of State for Labour, Social Affairs and Family, Branislav Ondruš, in order to discuss the priorities of the new Slovak government in terms of finance, economy and employment policies.

In the frame of the discussion, the new Secretary of State underlined that – although dedicated to pursuing the austerity measures - the new government’s austerity policies should not be implemented in a way that the people have to suffer the burden of them.

Hence, Slovakia could decide for the implementation of a rise of taxes for high-income earners, aim for enhanced investments of the State in the social field as well as for the employment of young people in the public sector, possibly with the support of European funds.

Furthermore, Mr. Ondruš underlined the utmost importance of the social dialogue for the general acceptance of unpopular measures. The new Slovak government is therefore determined to give new impetus to this tool, both on national and on European level.

Klaus Heeger expressed his deep satisfaction with the meeting: “It is encouraging that in times in which social dialogue is often undermined in the name of austerity, such recognition and reaffirmation can be heard from the side of a Government”.