UNIONS: GOVT REMAINS ADAMANT ON CHRISTMAS BONUS BEING 1900 KUNA

ZAGREB, Nov 28 - The government has refused a union request that this year's Christmas bonus amount to 300 kuna, and remains adamant to its suggestion of 100 kuna for civil servants, representatives of public service trade unions reported Wednesday. The government also refused a request by the police union which requested a 500 kuna Christmas bonus for police employees. The government should be deciding on our requests tomorrow, after which the Christmas bonus will be known, president of the civil servants union, Ivica Ihas, told reporters after Wednesday's negotiations on a basic Collective Agreement for the public sector. According to him, an agreement was not reached with the government on bonuses for overtime and night shifts, as well as for work on Saturdays, Sundays and during holidays. Refunds will remain within the basic collective agreement, and whether it will be paid off depends on budgetary resources, Ihas said. He added that, in principle, an agreement was reached on the payment of jubilee awards, but it remained to be established whether they would be at last year's level of 1,725 kuna, or, as the unions have suggested, 55 percent of the budgetary salary basis of 4,232 kuna. The amounts of certain rights in line with the basic collective agreement abut which an agreement had not been reached, will attempt to be harmonised between a government working group and unions, Ihas announced. (hina) lml