LABOUR AND WELFARE MINISTER PROMISES HELP TO BOSNIAN PENSIONERS

ZAGREB, May 9 (Hina) - After Wednesday's protest staged by about 100 Bosnia-Herzegovina pensioners Zagreb's downtown St. Mark Square, Croatian Labour and Welfare Minister Davorko Vidovic said the Croatian government will pay protection benefits to Bosnian pensioners with Croatian citizenship starting July 1. This includes 20,560 pensioners who worked in Croatian companies in Bosnia-Herzegovina before 1990. Between 1993 and April this year, the pensioners were receiving pensions from Croatia, however, after a government's decision to discontinue pension payments, three pension funds from Bosnia-Herzegovina took over the obligation. Namely, two Federation's funds in Sarajevo and Mostar and one in the Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska. After talks with Vidovic, president of the association of Bosnia- Herzegovina pensioners Stipo Cicak told reporters the government has endorsed their request for the payment of protection benefits, and the amount will be set according to seniority, salary and qualifications. Since the government's decision which came into force last April, 1,281 pensioners have not received a single pension, while 7,919 Croatian citizens received their last pension payment from Republika Srpska in last July as backpay for May amounting to 154 kuna (US$18.4), and 308 kuna for June (US$36.8). (hina) it