"My wish is that negotiations continue immediately," Prime Minister Miro Cerar said after the cabinet session on Thursday.

Koprivnikar resigned last week in an effort to "disburden" the negotiating process and speed up negotiations, which have been bogged down over irreconcilable demands.

Trade unions are demanding pay rises equalling almost a billion euro annually equivalent to about a fifth of the current wage bill, whereas the government set the ceiling at a fraction of this sum.

Koprivnikar also came under fire because he was absent in Dubai during three successive days of strikes, in what critics said showed the government was tone deaf.

Cerar said it was his wish the talks continue this week, which should be easy since Kozlovič was Koprivnikar's deputy in the negotiating group.

The prime minister also indicated the government was willing to offer more. "We're working on it. I expect we will adopt different positions at next week's session.

Kozlovič has been the government's secretary general since September 2016, having previously served as MP for the ruling Modern Centre Party (SMC).

Before being elected MP, she was the head of the Koper Administrative Unit for almost a decade.