ZAGREB, Feb 3 (Hina) - The Croatian Parliament House of Representatives on Wednesday continued the first session of this year by discussing a draft law on determining the representation of union associations in tripartite bodies at
the national level. Such a body in the Economic and Social Council, in which representatives of the Government, employers and unions harmonise their views. At the present time the Economic and Social Council does not exist, and one of conditions for it to start functioning is the adoption of the bill to determine which unions will represent Croatian working people. The law will be the foundation for an agreement among union associations about which of them will represent Croatian workers in the Council. If such an agreement is not reached, conditions will be created for social elections, Labour and Welfare Minister Joso Skara said. He stressed that a consensus with unions had not been
ZAGREB, Feb 3 (Hina) - The Croatian Parliament House of
Representatives on Wednesday continued the first session of this
year by discussing a draft law on determining the representation of
union associations in tripartite bodies at the national level.
Such a body in the Economic and Social Council, in which
representatives of the Government, employers and unions harmonise
their views.
At the present time the Economic and Social Council does not exist,
and one of conditions for it to start functioning is the adoption of
the bill to determine which unions will represent Croatian working
people.
The law will be the foundation for an agreement among union
associations about which of them will represent Croatian workers in
the Council. If such an agreement is not reached, conditions will be
created for social elections, Labour and Welfare Minister Joso
Skara said.
He stressed that a consensus with unions had not been reached on
proposed solutions.
According to the bill, a member of the Economic and Social Council
might be a union association with at least 20,000 members who are
paying membership fees, which gathers at least five unions at the
national level and is active in at least eleven counties, and which
has in the past two years signed at least three collective
agreements.
Should union associations fail to reach an agreement on
representation, social elections will take place - workers all over
Croatia would vote for unions to represent them in the Council.
The Parliament bench of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS)
did not endorse the bill.
The law will only be used for flaming conflicts among unions, the
HSLS bench stressed.
The Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) bench held that the bill had some
unacceptable provisions, such as the one about checking the payment
of fees, and the condition about three collective agreements. The
HSS will not support the bill of amendments, as suggested by the
bench, are not adopted.
The Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) endorsed the bill in order to
prevent any further delays.
The law, Minister Skara stressed, is a compromis which does not
satisfy the largest nor smaller union associations.
"The law is necessary to ascertain the true representation of
unions, to see who truly has the support of Croatian society," he
said.
(hina) lml jn