Thousands of Slovenians from public sectors protest for better pay

LJUBLJANA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Several thousand Slovenian public sector workers staged a protest on Wednesday in downtown Ljubljana to support the strike across the country for better pay.

The strike has been joined by members of 16 Slovenian trade unions to demand better pay and the preservation of the single pay system. Some 30,000 public sector workers went on strike on Wednesday, the Slovenian Press Agency STA reported citing the Slovenian trade unions' estimation.

In Ljubljana, the one hour protest was held in front of the Government Palace.

The Slovenian government, however, issued a written statement in response, reiterating its position that Wednesday's strike was "unwarranted."

The STA report quoted Government Communication Office as saying that the funds earmarked for public sector pay have increased by ten percent or more than 300 million euros over the past two years. Enditem