UNIONS, EMPLOYERS SUPPORT GOVT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

ZAGREB, June 27 (Hina) - Representatives of Croatian employers and unions in the Economic-Social Council (GSV) on Wednesday supported a government strategy of Croatia's development assessing the principles of the strategy as "well defined", however, they also expected concrete measures to be adopted with the aim of solving economic and social problems. GSV chairman Goran Granic said after today's session the GSV would start dialogue with all other associations willing to contribute to Croatia's development strategy. Vitomir Begovic, representative of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH), said a particularly important segment of the strategy was the one referring to the social and economic development. He stressed that Croatia needed a consensus among social partners about the objectives of the strategy. Begovic believes unemployment and the opening of new jobs are the most serious problems and warns that concrete measures must be taken immediately. He believes that unions must be an equal partner in the drawing up of reforms, as well as that they have been neglected in that regard. A representative of employers, Ivan Paradjik, supported the principles of the strategy, warning that the role of employers and entrepreneurs, who were expected to be the generators of development, as described in the strategy, was not "motivating enough". Croatia lacks a consensus on the current economic situation, he said, adding that it would not be possible to start tackling priority development tasks without a consensus on the current economic situation. (hina) rml