COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS OF ALL PUBLIC COMPANIES SHOULD BE HARMONISED - LINIC

ZAGREB, Dec 5 (Hina) - Representatives of the government and public companies agreed at a meeting on Tuesday morning that all collective agreements for the next year should be harmonised in companies entirely owned by the state, Vice Premier Slavko Linic told Hina. During the meeting, Vice Premier Linic, First Vice Premier Goran Granic and senior officials of the oil refinery INA, Croatian Power Supply (HEP), Croatian Railways (HZ) and other public companies tried to find a solution for the implementation of a government conclusion that salaries in public companies should be reduced to last year's level, which trade unions harshly oppose. "The government insists that the management boards of public companies continue talks with trade unions in order to reach an agreement on special payments in December, which we believe should not be made," Linic said. Working groups which should prepare a draft platform for negotiations with trade unions for 2001 have been formed, Linic said. The government does not wish to be directly involved in negotiations, because this is the job for the management boards of the companies, it only insists that its policy be included in the collective agreements, Linic said. (hina) it