ZAGREB, Jan 23 (Hina) - The head of the Social Democratic Party bench in the Croatian parliament, Mato Arlovic, on Tuesday supported the union request that the work week be reduced from 42 to 40 hours. Reducing work hours would only
legalise the already existing situation in most Croatian companies, Arlovic said at a round table on changes to the Labour Act, organised by his party. Arlovic also described as acceptable the union request that workers participate in companies' supervisory bodies and that union commissioners be protected better. He said he would present the union requests at a session of the party bench and some of the requests would most probably be included into SDP's amendments to the Labour Act. The current changes to the Labour Act are only a small step in the reform of the entire social-labour system which is yet to follow, Arlovic said. Today's debate on changes to the Labour Act gather
ZAGREB, Jan 23 (Hina) - The head of the Social Democratic Party
bench in the Croatian parliament, Mato Arlovic, on Tuesday
supported the union request that the work week be reduced from 42 to
40 hours.
Reducing work hours would only legalise the already existing
situation in most Croatian companies, Arlovic said at a round table
on changes to the Labour Act, organised by his party.
Arlovic also described as acceptable the union request that workers
participate in companies' supervisory bodies and that union
commissioners be protected better.
He said he would present the union requests at a session of the party
bench and some of the requests would most probably be included into
SDP's amendments to the Labour Act.
The current changes to the Labour Act are only a small step in the
reform of the entire social-labour system which is yet to follow,
Arlovic said.
Today's debate on changes to the Labour Act gathered SDP
parliamentary deputies, representatives of the government,
unions, economic and legal experts and World Bank officials.
Reiterated at the meeting were union requests that the 42-hour work
week be reduced to 40-hour work week and that workers'
representatives sit on the supervisory committees of all companies
and not only state-owned ones.
The government has so far refused such requests and Labour and
Welfare Minister Dubravko Vidovic has announced that they will be
discussed at a government session this Thursday.
Vitomir Begovic, secretary-general of the Association of
Independent Workers Unions of Croatia, criticised the proposal
that the maximum number of workers a small-sized employer can
employ be raised from five to ten, whereas the president of the
Council of Croatian Public Service Workers Unions, Vilim Ribic,
criticised the lack of regulations which would enable a more
flexible employment procedure.
World Bank's Jan Rutkovsky agreed with Ribic, announcing measures
the World Bank would suggest to the Croatian government with the aim
of raising the employment rate. These measures include reducing
dismissal costs and liberalising the employment procedure.
(hina) rml