Community Service Without Compensation – Social (In)Justice?!

Namely, with the latest amendments and additions to the Social Welfare Act (ZoSS), both employable and partially employable recipients of guaranteed minimum income (GMI) and household members, as well as local and regional self-government units and the City of Zagreb, now have an obligation to implement the measure of unpaid community work (Articles 36 - 39 of ZoSS, hereinafter referred to as the "measure").

In the event of non-compliance by recipients or members of their household, their GMI can be partially or completely suspended, which is their sole source of financial support. On the other hand, for recipients participating in the measure, there is no reward in the form of increased benefits; the GMI remains the same, amounting to 137.32 euros. Therefore, their only reward is to avoid sanctions.

Such conditioning of financial social assistance in a country defined as a welfare state is questionable from a constitutional and human rights perspective and can be described as forced or compulsory labor, which is prohibited by the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia.

The project aims to address this important issue - the obligation of GMI recipients to participate in unpaid community work, which we consider discriminatory and contrary to economic and social rights and the constitutional principles of the Republic of Croatia.

Our solutions involve a focused multi-methodological approach that includes research, recommendations, advocacy, information, public campaigns, and support for GMI recipients. We aim to influence legislative changes and remove the conditionality of social assistance in this form of forced labor at the domestic level.

The main goal of the project is to strengthen the advocacy role of civil society in the field of socio-economic rights, especially in shaping the welfare state defined by the Social Welfare Act. Additionally, we aim to promote EU values and provide support to vulnerable groups, including recipients of Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI).

The project consists of five interconnected activities:

1. Situational analysis of the measure of unpaid community work.

2. Analysis of international agreements and European Court of Human Rights      (ECtHR) practice regarding the measure of unpaid community work.

3. Policy brief.

4. Information and advocacy campaign.

5. Legal information and counseling for GMI recipients.

The target groups of the project include policymakers, government institutions, media, citizens, and victims of human (socio-economic) rights violations, namely GMI recipients.

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Project Leader: Center for Peace, Nonviolence, and Human Rights – Osijek 

Partners: Center for Peace Studies 

Project Implementation Period: September 1, 2023 to February 28, 2025

Total Project Value: €59,218.88

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.