How much should a worker’s salary be in order to be able to live with dignity from their work? Can the current salary cover housing, food, transportation, health care costs, children’s education, or unforeseen life situations? For many workers, the answer is still – no.

In recent years, the cost of living has been rising faster than wages. The public sphere is filled with messages about inflation, economic uncertainty and the need for “belt tightening”, while at the same time many companies are achieving record profits. In such an environment, demands for higher wages are often presented as unrealistic or detrimental to the competitiveness of companies, even though the right to a decent wage is recognized in international documents and the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia.

But what does a living wage actually mean? How much is enough for a dignified life? Why does full-time work no longer guarantee economic security for many?

To open a discussion on these and other issues, Novi sindikat and the International Office of the Clean Clothes Campaign are organizing two related events in September that approach the issue from different perspectives.

Conference “A Living wage – from a declarative right to a decent life” will address the question of how to turn the right to a living wage into a reality in the Croatian context. Through lectures, workshops and a panel discussion, we will present the concept of the Europe Floor Wage, discuss the existing legal and political frameworks and open a space for the exchange of experiences between trade unions, experts and civil society organizations from Croatia and Europe. The conference will also mark the International Living Wage Day.

Round table “A living wage – a right, not a utopia” questions today’s dominant economic narratives about crises, competitiveness, and “responsible business.” We will discuss why the burden of economic disruption is almost always shifted to workers, whether companies that make significant profits can ensure decent wages, and how to return social responsibility to its original meaning – responsibility to the people who create value with their work.

We invite all stakeholders – workers, trade union representatives, researchers, students, civil society organizations and decision-makers – to join us in the debate. A living wage is not just a question of income. It determines whether work can provide a dignified life, and this should be one of the fundamental criteria of a just society.

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Conference “A Living wage – from a declarative right to a decent life” will be held on September 25, 2026, starting at 10 am at the Hotel Novi Zagreb, Ive Robića 2, Zagreb.

Round table “A living wage – a right, not a utopia” will be held on September 28, 2026, starting at 11 a.m. at the Novinarski dom, Perkovčeva 2, Zagreb.