SABOR PASSES PACKAGE OF SOCIAL LAWS

ZAGREB, Sept 21 (Hina) - Croatia's parliament on Friday adopted a package of laws introducing cuts in social entitlements. Most of the laws will go into force on October 1. The new acts abolish the right of employed mothers who have twins or three and more kids to stay at paid maternity leave until the third birthday of the twins or the youngest child. The package, on the other hand, introduces the entitlement of unemployed mothers, students and undergraduates to receive 900 kuna (112.5 dollars) per month in the first six months upon the birth of a child. The paid maternity leave for employed mothers will be their average monthly salary in the first six months upon delivery, unless they earn more in which case this is limited to about 532 dollars per month. Employed mothers will be able to get about 200 dollars monthly in the second six months of the child's life. One of the amendments, suggested by the parliamentary social welfare and labour committee and endorsed by the government, stipulates that mothers who give birth to twins, triplets or more children can use two-year maternity leave. The base for calculating the amount of disability pension for disabled civilians and disabled war veterans was cut from 160 percent to 100 percent of the average net salary paid in the previous year. Privileged pensions will be reduced by 8-20 percent. The highest possible privileged pension may be 9,343 kuna ($1170). The package defines the highest possible amount which a family can get on the basis of its social entitlements. The package adopted on Friday includes changes and amendments to the health insurance law, maternity leave for mothers who do private business and unemployed mothers, the social welfare law, the employment law, the budget execution act, and the law and protection of civilian and war veterans disabled in the war. Amendments to the war veterans' rights were withdrawn from procedure, as the government drew up the complete text of a new act in the meantime. (hina) ms