PARLIAMENT'S SPEAKER SLAMS CROATIAN TELECOM'S MARKETING CAMPAIGN

ZAGREB, Sept 25 (Hina) - Parliamentary speaker Zlatko Tomcic has voiced his discontent over the conduct of the Croatian Telecom (HT) management for having spent 61 million kuna (approx. $7.35 million) for marketing purposes in the last eight months. If the marketing cost figure is correct, the money could have been used to settle part of the debt the management owes workers for failure to comply with a work agreement, which according to unions amounts to 170 million kuna (approx. $20.5 million) , Tomcic said on Tuesday after meeting representatives of Croatian Post and HT unions. The meeting also addressed a standstill in collective bargaining. Tomcic vowed he and the government would try to help the HT management and the unions resume the negotiations. Today, the Economy Ministry forwarded to the government a report on HT's privatisation and a revision of the prices of HT services, Tomcic said, adding the report would affect his initiative for setting up a commission of inquiry which should establish if the sale of HT shares to Deutsche Telekom was legal. Union head Jadranko Vehar voiced hope the HT's former and current employees would acquire a seven percent interest in the company. He said Tomcic supported a union demand for a more favourable financial restructuring of the HT and care for 1,404 workers in subsidiary activities who should be employed in other companies. (hina) ha sb