UNION: BILL ON RIGHTS OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT IMMORAL

ZAGREB, May 12 (Hina) - The Croatian school union 'Preporod' believes that the bill on the rights of parliamentary representatives, which grants MPs the right to MPs' pensions, severance pays, monthly flat sums and the right to discount for all forms of transport, regardless of how long they perform duties as MPs, is immoral and socially insensible. In a statement issued on Friday the union says "the adoption of such a law on the rights of officials is a sign of political amateurism and moral collapse of the ruling coalition because we are living in a state where more than half of its citizens are living below the subsistence level, where half a million people are out of work or work without salary, where, by all indications, another several dozen thousands of people will lose their jobs, where more than 200,000 pensioners receive delayed pensions amounting to less than 700 kuna." "With this act the current authority is sending dangerous messages that it is not willing to share the fate of the people whom it should serve, although that was its election promise," read the statement signed by the union's president, Vinko Filipovic. (hina) jn rml