ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, SOME HIGH SCHOOLS ON STRIKE THUR.

ZAGREB, Dec 12 (Hina) - Elementary schools, colleges, and some high schools will be on strike on Dec. 14, Croatian Teachers' Union president Dalimir Kuba told reporters on Tuesday. On Thursday, 750 union branches from all over Croatia will join in the circular strike of public and state services' unions, the result of a conflict with the government in connection with the unions' request for a basic salary increase. The health and social welfare sectors will go on strike on Friday, and the state administration on Monday. Negotiations with the government were scheduled for 5 p.m. today, but Kuba said he expected nothing. Instead of an 8.5 percent increase in basic salaries, the public and state services' unions now demand a five percent increase in basic salaries for the last three months of this and the first two of next year. Kuba said a 458 million kuna ($53.26 million) deficit in next year's budget for education was grave. He reminded SHU's negotiations with the government on a work agreement for elementary schools, which expired six months ago, were very difficult. The union will wait for the government to take a position on the five percent increase demand, and decide on Friday about the next steps in putting pressure for the signing of a branch agreement. (hina) ha