The mine removal experts from 23 private companies, who staged the protest wearing full equipment, are dissatisfied because of a reduction in next year's budgetary funds for de-mining which total 198 million kuna.
The leader of the Humanitarian De-mining Employers' Association, Boris Katic, warned that the funds were sufficient to cover mine removal only until June 2005 and that the companies would not have enough jobs and would have to pay minimum wage.
"The adopted budget is not in line with the national mine action plan and with the current funding, mine removal will not be completed by 2010 as planned, but by 2020," Katic warned.
Although private de-mining companies account for 75 percent of all de-mining operations, they will be granted only 40 million of the planned 198 million kuna, because most of the funds will be granted to the Mine Action Centre and the state-owned de-mining company "Mungos", Katic said.
Finance Minister Suker agreed with the protesters to organise a meeting of representatives of the government, the Mine Action Centre, employers and trade unions early next year to solve the problem of financing of humanitarian de-mining.
The protesters said that if their problems were not solved soon, they would stage a much bigger rally in Zagreb in March and possibly block streets.