UNIONS DETERMINE CRITERIA FOR PRIVATISATION OF PUBLIC COMPANIES

ZAGREB, Nov 30 (Hina) - Employees and pensioners once employed with public companies, as well as public and civil servants and citizens who have not participated in the privatisation process, should be enabled to join it so that those companies could remain in majority ownership of Croatian citizens. This was stated by representatives of trade union federations at a session of the Economic and Social Council (GSV) on Monday. The Alliance of Independent Unions of Croatia, Association of Croatian Unions, Association of Croatian Workers' Unions, Federation of Croatian Unions of Public Services and the Coordination of Croatian Unions of Public Servants and Employees believe that those who have not taken part in the privatisation process should be enabled to purchase shares of public companies in line with the provisions of the Law on Transformation of Socially- Owned Companies, with a discount and instalment payment over a period of 20 years. The Confederation of Croatian Independent Unions believes that the shares of public companies should be distributed free of charge to all Croatian citizens and employees of age. The privatisation of public companies must be profitable and socially just and the money gathered by privatisation should be directed into technological development and the maintenance of the existing and the creation of new jobs, union representatives said. The Government will be able to deal with union requests only after the drawing up of laws on privatisation of every individual public company has begun, Deputy Privatisation Minister Damir Ostovic said. (hina) mm rml ab