ANNOUNCED REVISION OF BUDGETS SHOWS WE'VE HAD RIGHT - UNIONISTS

ZAGREB, May 13 (Hina) - The Association of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH) holds that no burning question of the economic and social policy will be solved by the Government's proposal for the revision of the state budget. The SSSH President, Davor Juric, assessed that the budget would not be reduced, but that means would be re-allocated due to debts to para-state funds and savers in nine banks which have gone into bankruptcy. The unionists' leader, added that the question how to fill the budget had received no answer, although means by 30 percent less than planned were coming into the budget at the moment. It is obvious that Croatia will ask for new loans from abroad for the expenditure rather than for a investment round and this will additionally burden the Croatian economy, Juric said. He warned that the revised budget would lose its social characteristic. Juric as well as Zdenko Mucnjak, the President of the Croatian Association of Unions (HUS) reminded that unions had warned that this 1999 budget would be unreal when it was being adopted. Without the revision of the budget, which has been proposed perhaps in the nick of time, economic and social disaster would probably happen entailing uncontrollable social discontent, Mucnjak warned. He added that the revision of the budget would not have an important impact on the position of HUS members, mostly employed in the industry, since the announced financial restrictions did not refer to the Economy Ministry. (hina) jn ms