UNIONS' ALLIANCE PRESIDENT CALLS ON UNIONS TO CONSIDER REALITY

ZAGREB, Nov 30 (Hina) - President of the Alliance of Independent Croatian Unions (SSSH) Davor Juric on Thursday supported requests by unions of public and state services that the Government follow their collective agreement on the harmonisation of salaries, but also called on the unions to take the realistic situation in the country into consideration. The Government decided to decrease salaries in public and state companies as it cannot fulfil a collective agreement signed with the unions this March, Juric told a news conference. According to the collective agreement, salaries in the public sector should level with the salaries in public and state companies, based on which unions in the public sector are requesting a 8.5 per cent increase in the basic salaries. "The salaries of public and civil officials cannot be compared in this way with the salaries in public and state-owned companies, because the average of the latter include management salaries, compensations for overtime work, work over the weekends, and so on," Juric said. Besides, claims that only public workers and civil servants have been the victims do not hold water, because they did sign to a decrease of the basic salaries in march. "Hundreds of thousands of workers have in the past ten years lost their jobs, and several hundred thousands are employed, without receiving any salaries," Juric stressed. The SSSH demands a respect of all collective agreements, but oppose to an administrative regulation of salaries. However, unions should take into consideration the economic and social situation in the country, Juric asserted. (hina) lml