CRO TEACHERS' TRADE UNION SENDS OPEN LETTER TO HSLS LEADER BUDISA

ZAGREB, Dec 26 (Hina) - The Croatian Teachers' Trade Union (SHU) on Sunday forwarded an open letter to the President of a major opposition party, the Croatian Social and Liberal Party (HSLS), asking Drazen Budisa to express his stand on a policy of salaries for civil servants, in case that the coalition of the HSLS and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) wins the coming parliamentary election. The reason for this letter signed by the Union's leader, Dalimir Kuba, was recent announcements given by SDP officials about the freezing of salaries of civil servants and government employees in the coming year, as the SHU maintained that such a move would be contrary to Budisa's response to the question on this matter raised by the 'Matica' of Croatian unions, in which he advocated a speedier rise in wages for civil servants. The SHU union wanted to know whether such announcements could be taken as indications of the break-off of a social dialogue between a future Government and civil servants' union, and whether that Government would decide on salaries outside collective agreements. "On behalf of 40,000 employees in primary education, we ask you to express your stand. What is the HSLS salaries policy and what is the policy of the HSLS-SDP coalition,?" read the open letter. (hina) ms