POSTAL UNIONS REACH AGREEMENT WITH MANAGEMENT

ZAGREB, June 6 (Hina) - Having protested and negotiated for three months, Croatian Post (HP) unions reached an agreement with HP management and the supervisory committee that this year's salary budget be increased by five percent in comparison to last year, and a part of the funds be settled from HP's debt to employees. Croatian Post and Telecommunications Union and the Croatian Post Union said today the management has thus admitted its debt to employees, so preconditions for continuing negotiations about a new collective agreement which should start next week have been met. Unions and management board and supervisory board chairmen Ivan Videk and Zeljko Kanducar agreed that the salary budget be increased from the current billion to one and a half billion kuna, with the supervisory board and the HP Assembly putting on a rubber stamp. Unions said the management has 180 million kuna of debt to employees, which the unions decreased to 83 million yesterday. Of the total amount 50 million kuna would enter the salary budget, under the condition that some employee benefits decrease. At the upcoming negotiations on a new collective agreement, unions will represent the collective rights of employees to all benefits (Christmas and Easter bonuses, jubilee awards and severance pay), but some of them will most probably be decreased. (hina) lml sb