ZAGREB, Jan 13 (Hina) - The beginning of social partnership with the new government is very disorganised and it is possible that the negotiations between the government and unions will turn into informal talks, the acting president of
the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH), Vesna Dejanovic, said on Tuesday.
ZAGREB, Jan 13 (Hina) - The beginning of social partnership with the
new government is very disorganised and it is possible that the
negotiations between the government and unions will turn into informal
talks, the acting president of the Federation of Independent Trade
Unions of Croatia (SSSH), Vesna Dejanovic, said on Tuesday.#L#
The SSSH and other union federations will inform Prime Minister Ivo
Sanader about this at a meeting Sanader called for Friday, Dejanovic
told a news conference.
Talks with some trade unions on their partial interests, such as
negotiations with the Croatian Physicians Union, in fact marginalise
social partnership and competent institutions, such as the
government's Office for Social Partnership and the Economic and Social
Council (GSV), Dejanovic said.
The president of the Croatian Association of Trade Unions (HUS),
Zdenko Mucnjak, said HUS would demand of the new government to
maintain the level of institutional cooperation reached with the
former government.
"We will insist that top government officials continue to be
represented in the GSV and that the government keep the Office for
Social Partnership which proved to be very efficient in solving labour
disputes," Mucnjak said
Without consulting social partners, the government has forwarded
amendments to the Labour Act and the Health Insurance Act to
parliament, which is not a good start of social dialogue, Mucnjak
said.
The government should have consulted unions before opting to change
maternity leave compensation or extend maternity leave for mothers
with three or more children, Dejanovic said.
"This is a primitive way of implementing the pro-natality policy,
because mothers first need to be stimulated to give birth to the first
and second child," the SSSH acting president said.
The talks between unions and employers also focused on the reduction
of VAT. "HUS believes that reducing VAT from 22 to 20 percent will
not increase employment," Mucnjak said, adding that it would be better
to reduce income tax and contributions paid on salaries.
The six union federation leaders will agree on a unified standpoint
before attending the meeting with Sanader.
(Hina) it sb