ZAGREB, July 13 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of Representatives on Thursday unanimously endorsed a bill of amendments to the Labour Law in first reading. This was the first in a series of ten labour and social related
bills which should fortify workers' social security. Milanka Opacic of the Social Democratic Party bench said one of the key amendments was that the employer would have to give the worker his payroll account, even when the salary had not been paid. This gives the worker an authentic document to use in court, which has not been the case in the past, she said. All MPs commended a regulation legalising the workers' right to go on strike on account of unpaid salaries. In the past, such strikes could result in lay-offs. The MPs agreed this was one measure which should ensure regular salary payments. Vesna Pusic of the Liberal Party/Croatian People's Party bench spoke po
ZAGREB, July 13 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament's House of
Representatives on Thursday unanimously endorsed a bill of
amendments to the Labour Law in first reading. This was the first in
a series of ten labour and social related bills which should fortify
workers' social security.
Milanka Opacic of the Social Democratic Party bench said one of the
key amendments was that the employer would have to give the worker
his payroll account, even when the salary had not been paid. This
gives the worker an authentic document to use in court, which has
not been the case in the past, she said.
All MPs commended a regulation legalising the workers' right to go
on strike on account of unpaid salaries. In the past, such strikes
could result in lay-offs. The MPs agreed this was one measure which
should ensure regular salary payments.
Vesna Pusic of the Liberal Party/Croatian People's Party bench
spoke positively of the amendments, suggesting that working hours
be reduced to 40 per week, but only in a few years time, once
conditions existed for doing so.
Some Lower House MPs suggested the term 'worker' should be
reintroduced in the Labour Law instead of 'employee' because, they
said, there was no point in ideologising the term 'worker'.
The government has promised in its programme to protect the
workers' right to regular salaries and this is the first step in
that direction, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Davorko Vidovic
said at the end of the debate.
Speaking about amendments to the Bankruptcy Law, he added that in
bankruptcy proceedings salaries would have precedence over
settling debts with creditors. These and other legal solutions will
fortify workers' social security, as well as create conditions for
economic growth, Vidovic concluded.
(hina) ha mm