CRO WORKERS' AND PEASANTS' ALLIANCES SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT

ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Hina) - The president of the Croatian Workers' Alliance Mario Ivekovic and president of the Croatian Peasants' Alliance Ivan Kolar on Friday signed a cooperation agreement according to which they will stimulate social justice and the protection of workers and peasants. Through joint action they will also participate in realising their rights and interests. "We need cooperation because we have the same goal - a dignified life of our own labour," Kolar said, stressing that thanks to the agreement, workers and peasants will no longer be easy to manipulate. "We wish to develop awareness about the solidarity and need for a joint fight of workers and peasants," Ivekovic said, adding the workers' alliance will try to help the peasants' alliance to present itself as a non-government association, while the peasants' alliance will help the workers' alliance develop as it had just been established. "We are not facing good times, but hard work," Ivekovic said. He added that their first task was to call on all citizens to vote at the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for January 3. Ivekovic said the post-electoral period was more important, however, when, as he put it, the two alliances, as non-government associations, would continue controlling the future authorities. Ivekovic said the Croatian Workers' Alliance had so far signed similar agreements with the coalition of four parties, known as the Opposition Four and the Croatian Association of Unions, while it was still negotiating with other unions. "We still face the established of a Zagreb office of the Croatian Workers' Alliance which currently numbers about 1,000 members," Ivekovic said, adding it was not the goal of the Alliance to have as many members as possible, but to ensure assistance, especially those workers whose companies were bankrupt. (hina) lml