PRIME MINISTER CALLS ON PARTNERS TO SUPPORT REFORMS

ZAGREB, April 3 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan has called on political and social partners to support the government's reforms. Speaking in an interview to the Globus weekly on Wednesday, Racan said that unreadiness to accept the implementation of these reforms represented the gravest danger to Croatia. #L# The greatest threat to Croatia today is the "unreadiness or inability" of political and social partners to secure development and to pitch in with reforms that must be implemented, Racan told the Globus weekly. He confirmed that his objections referred to the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH), the largest union federation that last week withdrew from an agreement on social partnership with the government. "If we have to, we will go on without that union, we will continue with our reforms without them, but this will just make matters so much more difficult and painful," Racan said. He stressed that not one economic wonder in Europe occurred in less than eight or ten years and that Croatia could not succeed in implementing reforms if there was not political agreement between the coalition parties and their social partners. The presidents of five union federations threatened with general strikes if the government did not withdraw its draft changes to the Labour Act which the unions believe will drastically diminish workers' rights. The government's draft envisages decreased severance payments and shorter dismissal notice periods which make it easier for employers to lay off employees. (hina) sp rml