CROATIAN UNIONS' SOCIETY COMMENTS ON REPRESENTATION

ZAGREB, Feb 3 (Hina) - The Croatian Public Services Unions' Society holds that the determining of the number of unions who are paying membership fees is the best way to establishing which unions will represent Croatian workers in tripartite bodies, such as the Economic Social Council. In a statement issued Wednesday, deputy president of the Society, Kresimir Rozman, estimated that most unions wanted the adoption of a law which would adequately resolve the issue of union representation in tripartite bodies, in order for the Council to resume its work. President of the Croatian Association of Workers' Unions, Boris Kunst, opposed the Government's suggestion that the main criterion for union representation would be the number of members who are paying membership fees. He stressed this was discriminatory to members who cannot pay the fees due to irregular salaries or poverty. Kunst said the Government wished to establish control over the unions' financial enterprises to place them easier under political control. Rozman, however, stressed determining the number of members who pay fees is the only relevant way of establishing how many members a union centre has. Besides, without paying members, a union cannot have their own financial resources, meaning the union cannot be autonomous. Who is then financing such unions, Rozman asked. The law must include union members who are working, but are not receiving salaries. They should be in certain ratio to the total number of employees, as had been envisaged by the Government motion, Rozman said. (hina) lml