The Public Guarantee and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia, originating from back in 1997, has justified its purpose regarding the settlement of obligations arising from the rights of workers in the event of insolvency of the employer and from the rights of children in the event of non–payment of maintenance.

Its role has become even more important in the light of the current difficult economic conditions; therefore, it is necessary to:
• enhance the aid in the “guarantee” field provided to workers for the enforcement of their fundamental right to receive remuneration for their work by educating the workers about their rights and possibilities for their enforcement as well as through an even closer cooperation with trade unions, receivers and insolvency administrators; in view of this, it is necessary to continue a close cooperation with the Employment Service of Slovenia and to enhance the cooperation with employer organizations, particularly with the Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, with the primary objective of providing business entities with an opportunity for an early detection of problems that result in their insolvency;
• continue ensuring children their right to maintenance in the “maintenance” field, particularly by encouraging the persons liable to pay maintenance to pay maintenance and settle their relations with the child’s legal guardian. The assurance of these rights also includes further cooperation with the Centres for Social Services and the enhancement of cooperation with local communities, education and health organizations, civil society organizations and the human rights ombudsman.

The Fund must base its development on the responsibility towards employees and children and achieve that by professionalism, inclusion in the community and cooperation with all organizations that can contribute to their goals in any way. The Fund must be indisputably recognised by the public as a professional and governmental entity which helps workers enforce their right to receive remuneration for their work and children to receive maintenance replacement. For this to happen, it is necessary to inform all rightful claimants through the modern media and general public information methods about the factors that could contribute to a positive change in the attitude towards the rights of workers and children.

The Fund’s ongoing task is to ensure an important source of funds for their activities through the recovery of debts with a view to relieving the budget and raising awareness about the rights on the one hand and the responsibilities on the other.
 
In addition to high professional qualifications, the employees of the Fund must also act sensitively towards the workers and children who require the help of the national authorities also through the operations of the Fund. Regardless of the internal division in the guarantee and maintenance funds, the Fund is required to publicly act as a uniform professional organization which consults, notifies and raises awareness, establishes a dialogue between individual entities and ensures the enforcement of the rights of workers and children.

Branko Omerzu,
Director