Our agreement is worth some HRK 3 billion annually for the pay rise for 250,000 employees in the public and government services. For employers (HUP), this is too much but for them the public sector is always too big and they always insist on trimming it so that they could pay fewer taxes, Vilim Ribic, the leader of one of the eight trade unions which were for the agreement, told a news conference in Zagreb today.
According to Ribic, apart from a rise in salaries, the agreement would also make the government seriously tackle reforms in the public sector.
The eight trade unions and the government reached that deal in mid-May, after some segments in the public sector went on strike.
The document regulates the cost of labour for 180,000 public service employees, and its provisions will also apply to 60,000 government employees.
All eight unions will hold a referendum among their members within 30 days and if the agreement is accepted by a majority, the deal will be signed, and if not, they will have to begin a new round of negotiations with the government.
Under the agreement, salaries of public-sector employees will be brought into accord with the inflation rate as of January 1 next year and the six per cent pay rise, which the government scrapped because of the economic crisis, will be restored after two consecutive quarterly GDP rises of two per cent.