Equal yet different: a social perspective
In the European Union—including Slovenia—tempers are flaring, and even hostility is emerging, toward the unemployed, who are perceived as receiving social assistance without working. Naturally, this overlooks the fact that social assistance covers only basic living expenses—costs that are minimal and lower than standard wages. When funds run low and general poverty rises, a scapegoat must be found; inevitably, social benefits become that target. Instead of creating paid jobs, the focus is shifting toward "social jobs"—or making social assistance conditional upon performing socially useful work—while likely reducing the number of regular employees in the civil service and state institutions. In Slovenia, "socially useful work" is already defined in the Criminal Code as unpaid compensatory labor (one day of imprisonment equates to two hours of socially useful work) used to settle a prison sentence and/or a fine (see previous article: https://vsakodnevnobydarja.blogsp...