The trade union, called the Republic Trade Union of Croatian Workers, demands the establishment of an internal employment agency which would provide for labour surplus, following the same model according to which the process was conducted in Deutsche Telecom and that labour surplus be protected by the reduction of weekly hours.
T-HT currently employes 8,600 workers. In the past three years some 2,500 people lost their jobs and according to the company's business plan, another 1,075 people will be laid off this year, trade union president Jadranko Vehar told reporters.
He added the company's workers council was deciding about the lay-off of another 550 workers today with minimum dismissal wages amounting to 270,000 kuna (gross).
Union representatives were received by the chief of the German Ambassador's cabinet who told them he would inform the ambassador and the German government of their demands.
After the talks, Vehar told reporters he had notified the embassy officials of his concern about Deutsche Telecom's treatment of T-HT workers. He said the protest rally was successful because the embassy promised to support the union demands.
Another large trade union in T-HT, the Croatian Telecommunications Trade Union, said in a statement that today's protest was not organised to protect the workers but for promotional purposes of the aforementioned trade union ahead of the forthcoming elections for workers' council and a commission for protection at work.