CRO RAILWAYS MANAGEMENT SIGNS SALARY AGREEMENT WITH TRADE UNION

ZAGREB, Apr 14 (Hina) - The Croatian Railways (HZ) management and the Trade Union of Croatia's Railways Workers on Wednesday signed an agreement on salaries in 1999, the union said in a statement. The agreement regulates an increase in HZ employees' salaries by three percent as of April 1, and by an additional three percent as of July 1. Salaries would then not increase until the year's end. The trade union's Presidency accepted the HZ management's compromise decision after assessing it would be impossible to realise the planned increase in HZ earnings in the wake of interruptions in railway transport to the south-east of the country and the proclamation of Croatian ports high risk zones. The HZ management also guaranteed no typical dismissals would take place in the continuation of HZ's financial restructuring. The Croatian Railways Workers' trade union staged a two-hour interruption in the railway transport a week ago, together with four other railways trade unions, demanding a 17.5 percent salary increase. To date, the other four trade unions have refused the HZ management's offer, pointing out they will accept nothing short of a two-digit salary increase. (hina) ha/sp jn