"Although the Croatian Constitution guarantees the right to work and fair pay, there are too many unemployed in Croatia today, there are many who work but are not paid regularly or are not paid at all. There is also a large number of those who are underpaid and who are deprived of their labour rights in many ways."
"Many jobs were lost during the war and war destruction, many were lost due to the wrong model of ownership transformation and privatisation, but workers must not be deprived of their basic rights under the pretext of market economy and entrepreneurship."
"All state institutions, trade unions and employers must work on a strategy to create new jobs and on starting production."
"Our goal is a welfare state of market economy and admission to the European Union," Mesic said in his message, offering his best wishes for International Labour Day.