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Description
Economic democracy has emerged in recent years as a strategy for creating a more efficient and socially responsible economy. The Slovenian government has significantly strengthened its efforts in this area by establishing a service for expanding ED among SMEs. One of the first proposed measures is a law that would provide tax incentives for transferring ownership of companies to employees, which is expected to be sent for public discussion in the 2nd half of 2023. The law is based on IED''s policy proposal and draws on best practices from the US and the UK: in 2014, the UK introduced a similar law, which allowed the creation of over 1000 employee-owned (EO) companies.
The Slovenian law would regulate and encourage an EO model known as the sloESOP, the Slovenian variety of the generic euroESOP model – a social innovation by IED whose significant potential for expanding employee ownership has been recognized even by the EC.
Recent decisions by various companies, such as Magna Steyr and Talum, to relocate production from Slovenia, are further evidence that during times of crisis, conventional businesses will prioritize their economic interests over the well-being of local communities. Therefore, particularly in light of the current inflation crisis, it is crucial that the law be passed as soon as possible, thereby contributing to anchoring ownership in local communities and aligning the interest of business with those of local citizens.
Due to the increased interest in ED, many incorrect informations about the law and ED in general have appeared in the media and public in recent months. There is a risk that these, combined with already widespread prejudices that associate EO with self-management and economic inefficiency, may turn the public and key stakeholders against the law. It is particularly worrying that false information about the sloESOP model and government plans has appeared in leading business newspapers.
Summary of project results
With a communication campaign, we aim to prevent further dissemination of misinformation and ensure an appropriate process for passing the law that would regulate and encourage an EO model known as the sloESOP, the Slovenian variety of the generic euroESOP model . We believe that good public awareness is a necessary condition for fruitful public debate. With this in mind, we would like to carry out an awareness campaign on our SM profiles, debunking common myths about ED and proposed measures and providing better insight into the field of ED. The campaign, which would run from would include written, photographic, and other visual content.
As part of the communication campaign, we developed numerous pieces of content intended to inform the Slovenian public and key stakeholders about economic democracy, employee ownership, and the proposed sloESOP law.
We successfully responded to the only high-profile case of spreading false information about employee ownership that we observed during the project period, namely the statements of lawyer Nejc Novak on the podcast Super Moč of the media house Delo. We responded to his statements and concerns with a video clip and a blog post. The posts attracted a lot of attention and, in this case, also reached the target audience. In addition, we are pleased that we have successfully addressed both the business community and activists or more socially oriented individuals with our content.