Danko: Thirteenth Salary Shouldn't Be Mandatory for All

Bratislava, June 7 (TASR) – The thirteen and fourteenth salaries that the governing coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) wants to introduce in legislation shouldn’t be mandatory for all, said SNS leader and Parliamentary Chairman Andrej Danko on Radio Expres’s ‘Brano Zavodsky Nazivo’ talk show on Wednesday.

SNS intends to keep pushing for this systemic reward, but everything depends on talks within the coalition. The party is discussing the issue with representatives of employers as well. “We’re explaining these positions to them to make them understand that we’re seeking systematised bonuses that would be paid before Christmas and before the [summer] holidays and would be exempt from taxes and levies. It wouldn’t have to be compulsory within the first step, however; we can talk about an obligation in the case of large employers,” said Danko, ruling out a mandatory character when it comes to small entrepreneurs.

The governing coalition is still holding talks on the form of a social package that it wants to assert as soon as this year. “If I gain a discount on levies and taxes for employees and benefits for employers, then I’m willing to talk, for example, about bonuses for Saturday and Sunday work. We haven’t lost our reason in this Government,” stated the SNS leader.

Danko also touched on another issue that is currently on SNS’s agenda – more support for cycling routes. “We’re talking about a national cycling route that would encompass all towns and villages. It would meet required technical parameters and would allow for expropriation in the public interest on sections where it’s impossible to do it otherwise,” said Danko, adding he wants to build cycling routes using EU funds.