News roundup - Wednesday, 7 February, until 3pm

Judges stage rallies to remind govt of top court ruling on wages

LJUBLJANA - One-hour rallies were held at Slovenian courts in what judges say is a protest in support of the rule of law, against the abuse of power and the government ignoring the judiciary, judges and legal order, in reference to the government's failure to implement a Constitutional Court decision on judges' salaries. As part of the rallies, organised by the Slovenian Judges' Association, judges read a protest statement in front of the Kranj District Court building, noting that a month has passed since the government was supposed to implement the decision.

Telekom shareholders to get dividend for 2022

LJUBLJANA - Telekom Slovenije shareholders approved the management's proposal to pay out EUR 40.29 million in dividend for 2022, or EUR 6.20 gross per share. This is virtually the entire 2022 distributable profit, which the national telco opted not to pay out last year to avoid repayment of state aid it received during the energy crisis. Dividends will be paid out in two instalments, EUR 3.10 gross per share on 22 March and EUR 3.10 on 23 August. Nearly 79% of the capital was represented at the annual general meeting, and the dividend payout decision was adopted with 99.98% of the votes present.

Turks building Koper-Divača rail track to go on strike

LJUBLJANA - Workers of four subsidiaries of Turkish companies building the Koper-Divača rail track in south-west Slovenia will go on strike on 15 February, demanding payment of overtime since the start of the works on the project, and a 30% rise in their basic wages from 1 February, said the Slovenian Construction Workers' Trade Union, which is part of the ZSSS confederation of unions. Workers at Yapi Merkezi, YM Construction, Yorpol and Türkcan also demand payment of the allowance for transport to remote construction sites; improvement of health and safety conditions; and better housing, including for new hires.

Dončić to play in Olympic qualifying tournament, if healthy

NEW YORK, US - Slovenian basketball superstar Luka Dončić has ended speculation regarding his participation for the Slovenian national team at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Greece in July, saying he will be available, barring an injury. Dončić, who is in New York with his Dallas Mavericks for the NBA games against the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, spoke with Slovenian reporters on Tuesday evening to confirm his willingness to help Slovenia qualify for the Paris Olympics.

New ten-year education plan to improve literacy, digital skills

LJUBLJANA - The draft national education programme for 2023-2033, unveiled by the Education Ministry on Tuesday, looks to strengthen the educational role of kindergartens and schools, encourage reading literacy and introduce computer science earlier in the teaching process. It also includes measures for increasing interest in the teaching profession, with Jože Vogrinc, the dean of the Ljubljana Faculty of Education, underlining the importance of involving parents and children in family literacy programmes and improving the role of writing and creating texts during classes.

Draft national culture programme until 2031 unveiled

LJUBLJANA - The Culture Ministry presented a draft National Culture Programme for 2024-2031 and an action plan for 2024-2027. Both documents see culture as a public good at the core of a society of solidarity and sustainability, Culture Minister Asta Vrečko said. The documents aim to improve working conditions, reduce precarious work and advocate for accessibility in culture. They try to create a comprehensive cultural ecosystem, encourage dialogue with stakeholders and create cross-sectoral connections, said the minister. Comments on the documents can be submitted until 11 March.

Slovenian diaspora celebrating Culture Day

TRIESTE, Italy - Slovenia's Culture Day, celebrated on 8 February, is being commemorated by several Slovenian communities abroad. For some communities festivities began earlier this week, while in other countries events will be held on Thursday or later in the month.