ZAGREB, Dec 28 (Hina) - Four federations of trade unions on Thursday asked the Government to hold a meeting with them within ten days so that the Government's stand on the social dialogue, which these unionists described as
unacceptable, could be discussed, or they would organise protest actions. Leaders of four federations - URSH, HUS, the Federation of Public Servants' Unions and the Independent Croatian Unions - did not call representatives of another strong federation - SSSH (the Federation of Independent Unions of Croatia) - as they maintained that the Government had opted for the SSSH as the only social partner while intentionally belittled the importance of those four associations. "Preferring only one federation, which openly says whom it belongs, the Government is trying to fragment the union scenes," the head of Association of Workers Unions of Croatia (URSH), Boris Kunst, said after t
ZAGREB, Dec 28 (Hina) - Four federations of trade unions on Thursday
asked the Government to hold a meeting with them within ten days so
that the Government's stand on the social dialogue, which these
unionists described as unacceptable, could be discussed, or they
would organise protest actions.
Leaders of four federations - URSH, HUS, the Federation of Public
Servants' Unions and the Independent Croatian Unions - did not call
representatives of another strong federation - SSSH (the
Federation of Independent Unions of Croatia) - as they maintained
that the Government had opted for the SSSH as the only social
partner while intentionally belittled the importance of those four
associations.
"Preferring only one federation, which openly says whom it belongs,
the Government is trying to fragment the union scenes," the head of
Association of Workers Unions of Croatia (URSH), Boris Kunst, said
after today's meeting.
Th four federations are willing to warn the Government one more time
about its obligation to treat equally all unions, and if the
Government turns a deaf ear to our request, we shall ask President
Stjepan Mesic to receive us, Kunst added.
The Government is carrying out a policy under conditions imposed by
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the HUS
(Croatian Association of Unions) head, Zdenko Mucnjak,
complained.
"If the Economic and Social Council (GSV) fails to start soon
conducting a true social dialogue, we shall discontinue pretending
to have tripartite system and leave the Council," Mucnjak
announced.
Participants in today's meeting called on the Government to annul
its conclusions of 22 December when it virtually froze salaries in
the public and the state-run sectors.
They asked the Ivica Racan Cabinet to withdraw its announcement for
the cancellation of collective agreements in public and state-run
services and companies.
Dalimir Kuba, the head of the Federation of Public Servants'
Unions, predicted that 2001 would be marked by social conflicts and
industrial actions due to the Government's wage policy and its
unilateral decision to cancel collective contracts.
Instead of the termination of the entire contracts, negotiations
should be held on segments of the deals which cannot be fulfilled.
For them, Deputy Prime Minister Zeljka Antunovic's announcement is
pointless when she says that within three months new integral
collective agreements will be concluded, as such a statement
encroaches on the freedom of negotiations on the matter and it also
breaches conventions of the International Labour Organisation,
Kuba assessed.
The head of the Independent Croatian Unions, Kresimir Sever, could
not attend today's meeting owing to his busy schedule but he agreed
with its conclusions on the phone.
SSSH Secretary-General, Vitomir Begovic, told Hina that this
meeting of unionists, without representatives of the largest
federation, had no credibility.
He described the meeting as an attempt to cause a schism within
Croatian workers.
(hina) ms