UNIONS DEMAND REPLACEMENT OF VICE PREMIER, ECONOMY MINISTER

BIZOVAC, June 15 (Hina) - The Croatian Association of Trade Unions (HUS) re-elected Zdenko Mucnjak its president at an electoral assembly, held in Bizovac on Friday. Participants in the conference called on the government to replace Vice Premier Slavko Linic and Economy Minister Goranko Fizulic because of their failures in the economic policy. Speaking about the conclusions of the conference, Mucnjak said HUS had decided to launch an initiative to unite all unions into a single union front to act together toward the government regarding issues of vital importance for all union associations. Now that we have discussed the situation in companies which suffered very negative effects of the government economic policy, we demand that the government discuss the responsibility of Vice Premier Slavko Linic and Economy Minister Goranko Fizulic and replace them because we hold them responsible for failures in the economic policy and the current economic situation, Mucnjak said. HUS demands that the government define a strategy of economic development based on production growth and a completely new, stimulative and socially just tax system, he said. Mucnjak recalled that one of the most important topics discussed at the assembly was the government's relationship toward the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. HUS demands that the government give up the privatisation and sale of the most valuable public companies as a way of covering holes in the budget and meeting IMF's requests. (hina) rml