ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - Public and civil servants' unions have severely criticised the Croatian government's decision to terminate collective agreements for workers employed in the state administration, high-education, science and
culture. Unionists on Monday described the government's decision of 27 September as the expression of the Ivica Racan cabinet's inability to fulfill its obligations from the collective agreements. The collective agreement for public servants in state-run offices should have been in effect by April 2002, the agreement for scientists and scholars by the end of 2003 and for cultural workers by July 2002. Collective agreements for employees in public health, education and social welfare offices expired either at the end of 2000 or during this year, and only the teachers' union began negotiations with the government on a new deal in the meantime. The revoked contracts wi
ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - Public and civil servants' unions have
severely criticised the Croatian government's decision to
terminate collective agreements for workers employed in the state
administration, high-education, science and culture.
Unionists on Monday described the government's decision of 27
September as the expression of the Ivica Racan cabinet's inability
to fulfill its obligations from the collective agreements.
The collective agreement for public servants in state-run offices
should have been in effect by April 2002, the agreement for
scientists and scholars by the end of 2003 and for cultural workers
by July 2002.
Collective agreements for employees in public health, education
and social welfare offices expired either at the end of 2000 or
during this year, and only the teachers' union began negotiations
with the government on a new deal in the meantime.
The revoked contracts will be in effect in the coming three months,
and if no new agreement is concluded in that period, the government
will be able to apply labour relations by-laws to regulate the
material rights and entitlements of employees in the public and
state sector.
Commenting on the government's decision, the public servants'
union's head, Dalimir Kuba, said "the party in power can work what
it wants, and thus terminate collective agreements unilaterally."
Another unionist, Nina Milicevic, said the unions "will know how to
respond to the government's decision" and announced a meeting of
union negotiators for the end of this week to define their strategy
in relations with the Racan cabinet.
The government has recently proposed a basic collective agreement
for public servants, which unions label as a bid to substantially
reduce the rights of the state sector's employees. The public
servants' union has refuted the proposal and drawn up its own
proposal with maximum demands as a counter-move, she said.
Under the government's suggestion, compensation for the work on
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays would be cut. The over-time work
would no longer be paid, but the compensation for hours in the
overtime work will become days off. Saturdays would no longer be
non-working days and the duration of the paid annual leave will be
cut as well. The payment for sick leave will be reduced from 80
percent to 70 percent of the full salary.
Nurses' union severely deplored the government's proposal, and
calculated that their salaries would fall by five percent.
(hina) ms