MINORITY UNIONS DISSATISFIED WITH NEWLY SET SALARY BASIS

ZAGREB, June 5 (Hina) - Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic today confirmed to unions that the salary basis for public and civil servants would be 4,232.43 kuna (approx. US$492). President of the "Preporod" school union, Vinko Filipovic, said during talks with two dozen leaders of minority unions of public and civil services, Granic said the basic salary of 4,232,43 was definite and the government will confirm it at the next session. Granic also announced that salaries for May, paid in June, will be calculated by the newly established basis. Filipovic assessed that according to the new basis, salaries would decrease to all professors with ten or more years of service, some would even lose as much as 500 kuna. "Premier Racan's announcements that despite the ten percent decrease in the budgetary mass for salaries, net salaries would not fall, unfortunately did not come true. Had education employees known about this before January 3 (parliamentary elections in 2000), they would have certainly never voted for this government," Filipovic asserted. Today's meeting at the government was held without the participation of majority unions of public and civil services which, Filipovic said, did not want to share the table with minority unions. They will hold talks with Granic tomorrow. (hina) lml sb