DEPUTY PM: NO REASON TO RESCIND GOVT. CONCLUSIONS ON SALARIES

ZAGREB, Jan 3 (Hina) - The government sees no reason to rescind its Dec. 22 conclusions on salaries in state and public services as they do not clash with current work agreements, Deputy Prime Minister Zeljka Antunovic said on Wednesday. Commenting on today's demand by five union federations that the government rescind the conclusions which practically froze salaries and announced the cancellation of work agreements, Antunovic said the conclusions were not contrary to the talks on a salary policy the government and the unions had in the past, or to "what the unions seek in the continuation" of the talks. She said there was nothing contentious in the conclusions which point to the need of dialogue in "harmonising the existing conditions in the realisation of salaries with the actual situation." The government wishes to achieve that through talks with the unions, which is obviously what the unions want too, she said. Antunovic added the government accepted and welcomed most of the union leaders' other demands as they were completely in line with the government's Dec. 22 conclusions. The leaders of five union federations today requested that talks on a salary policy in the coming period commence by Jan. 15 at the latest so as to reach a final agreement by Feb. 15. They also demanded signing a salary policy agreement which would establish the lowest salary and the minimum salary, provide for a selective adjustment of salaries according to services, and tie the growth of salaries to the growth of Gross National Product and production. (hina) ha