AGRICULTURAL UNION SEEKS UNION FEDERATION PRESIDENT RESIGN

ZAGREB, July 1 (Hina) - The union of agricultural workers on Tuesday requested the resignation of Davor Juric to the post of president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH), and that Croatia's largest union federation convene an extraordinary congress. #L# The union's main committee has accused Juric of not respecting a programme declaration adopted at SSSH's December 2002 congress, primarily due to his stand on negotiations on changes to the Labour Act. Developments surrounding a union referendum on the Labour Act changes have shown that Juric has done everything to present the results of negotiations on the changes as a great achievement, even though severance pays and notice periods will be reduced and 241,000 workers will be employed with small companies which do not guarantee any job security, according to the agricultural workers' union. The union will, therefore, urge convening an extraordinary SSSH congress at which a new leadership, with a different, more combative and more transparent union policy, would be elected. If this proposal does not go through, the union's branches will vote on the possibility of leaving the SSSH, union president Josip Pavic said. The textile workers' union has taken the same stance. The agricultural workers' union, with its 39,000 members, and the textile workers' union, with its 24,000 members, are among the biggest making up the SSSH. The requests for Juric's resignation and an extraordinary congress might be backed by some other larger unions, such as unions of workers in the commercial sector, catering and tourism. An extraordinary congress may be convened by unions which participate in financing the SSSH with 50 percent of their funds, so Juric might find himself forced to resign a mere six months after being elected SSSH president. (hina) ha sb