Croatia's fishing trade is collapsing and without government support it will not be able to compete once Croatia joins the European Union, Luciano Bose told a news conference in the northern coastal resort of Umag on Saturday.
Bose urged the government to reduce the price of fuel and start applying the Ecology and Fisheries Protection Zone in the Adriatic as soon as possible.
These requests were echoed by Boris Kunst, the president of the Association of Workers Trade Unions (URSH), of which Bose's union is a member.
He accused the government of leading a yes-man policy towards the EU and neighbouring Slovenia and of not having the courage to take effective measures to protect the national economy.
Kunst said URSH demanded raising the untaxable amount of the monthly salary from 1,500 to 1,750 kuna, reducing the income tax rate from 15 to five percent, and raising the lowest monthly salary and the lowest base rate for mandatory pension insurance contributions from 0.35 to 0.5 percent of the average monthly salary.
Kunst went on to say URSH would propose to other unions the establishment of a crisis centre comprised of experts who would oppose all decisions by the government, parliament and employers which they deem detrimental to workers and their rights.