ZAGREB, July 20 (Hina) - Following a meeting between Croatian union leaders and President Stipe Mesic on Thursday, the president of the Association of Workers' Trade Unions of Croatia (URSH), Boris Kunst, said workers would stage
protest meetings in autumn and demand the replacement of the government due to its inefficiency. "The economic and social situation is deteriorating and I have announced that in late August the URSH will initiate serious preparations for workers' rallies, at which we will demand the replacement of the government," Kunst said after the meeting, expressing dissatisfaction with the government's work and its failure to solve any important economic or social problem. The unionists stressed they and President Mesic had reached a high level of agreement on most economic and social problems, but some differences among the unions became obvious again during the meeting. Asked whether he had the sup
ZAGREB, July 20 (Hina) - Following a meeting between Croatian union
leaders and President Stipe Mesic on Thursday, the president of the
Association of Workers' Trade Unions of Croatia (URSH), Boris
Kunst, said workers would stage protest meetings in autumn and
demand the replacement of the government due to its inefficiency.
"The economic and social situation is deteriorating and I have
announced that in late August the URSH will initiate serious
preparations for workers' rallies, at which we will demand the
replacement of the government," Kunst said after the meeting,
expressing dissatisfaction with the government's work and its
failure to solve any important economic or social problem.
The unionists stressed they and President Mesic had reached a high
level of agreement on most economic and social problems, but some
differences among the unions became obvious again during the
meeting.
Asked whether he had the support of other unions for the announced
rallies, Kunst said he had not sought their consent. He welcomed the
fact that President Mesic had found the time to meet union leaders,
considering that "the Prime Minister obviously does not have time
and appears... only when workers show up in St. Mark's Square." (the
Government building is located in St. Mark's Square).
We have exchanged experience on the economic and social situation
with the President and most of our views coincide, said the
president of the Croatian Association of Trade Unions (HUS), Zdenko
Mucnjak, stressing he believed President Mesic's most important
view is that the unions first had to care about people as Croatia's
most valuable resources.
The president of the Independent Croatian Trade Unions, Kresimir
Sever, said they had sought Mesic's support for changes to the
Labour Law as proposed by the unions.
"I hope this meeting is the beginning of constructive talks during
which we will try to solve some burning problems," said the
president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia
(SSSH), Davor Juric. The SSSH will continue supporting social
dialogue which 'has no alternative', Juric said.
Vilim Ribic of the Association of Public Service Trade Unions said
he had informed the President that the most important question for
the Association was the attitude toward knowledge. "Croatia's
strategy should, in our opinion, consist of only three words:
knowledge, knowledge and knowledge," Ribic said.
(hina) mm rml