FIVE CROATIAN TELECOM UNIONS REFUSE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT

ZAGREB, Feb 21 (Hina) - Around 20 commissioners from five Croatian Telecom (HT) unions, who have refused a recently signed collective agreement, protested on Thursday in the HT management building in Zagreb, demanding the continuation of collective bargaining. The five unions are refusing the collective agreement, signed last week by the largest HT union, claiming the new agreement reduced the workers' material rights by more than 20%. The president of the Croatian Post and Telecommunications Workers' Union, Jadranko Vehar, said the unions would keep organising protests in order to force the management board to continue negotiating. "Croatian workers want to live in the Republic of Croatia and not in the 'Republic of Deutsche Telekom', which ignores the Labour Act," Vehar said before a group of loud protesters. He again accused Croatian Telecommunications Union president Josip Pupic, who signed the collective agreement, of "betraying the union and serving the management board". The collective agreement cannot apply to all union members as it was signed only by one union representing 40% of HT workers, representatives of the five unions said. (hina) np sb