THREE UNION FEDERATIONS STAGE SEPARATE RALLIES IN FRONT OF SABOR

ZAGREB, Feb 1 (Hina) - Members of three Croatian union federations - the Association of Independent Workers' Unions of Croatia (SSSH) on one side, and the Association of Workers' Trade Unions of Croatia (URSH) and Croatian Union Federation (HUS) on the other, staged separate protest rallies in St Mark's Square in downtown Zagreb in order to hand parliamentary deputies their amendments to a bill on changes to the Labour Act. The unions seek the reduction of the work week from 42 to 40 hours, participation of workers' representatives in the supervisory boards of all companies regardless of their ownership structure, increased protection for union commissioners and the prevention of increases in the number of workers employed with small employers. Although their amendments are almost the same, SSSH gathered about 600 members separately from some 50 union commissioners of the other two union federations, which accuse SSSH of an alliance with the Social Democratic Party (SDP). HUS and URSH claim SSSH's protest rally is a rigged performance aimed at diverting attention from more important issues by emphasising their amendment on the reduction of the work week. Those more important issues concern the protection of workers employed with small employers and a ban on the dismissal of pregnant employees. "Unionists - actors, that is, SSSH and unionists - fighters, that is, HUS and URSH, have gathered today in front of the parliament building," URSH president Boris Kunst said. He claimed it was already known that deputies would adopt the amendment on the reduction of the work week. SSSH president Davor Juric said the Labour Act was not an act on employment or the unemployed but only a part of a package of laws aimed at solving the problem of unemployment. Juric said the request that the work week be reduced was a step further in the direction of European labour legislation. The two union delegations were received separately by Sabor Speaker Zlatko Tomcic who promised he would forward their amendments and a petition supporting the SSSH amendments to parliamentary bodies. The debate on changes to the Labour Act, which was to take place today, should be held tomorrow or next Wednesday, Tomcic announced. (hina) rml