RAIL WORKERS' STRIKE CAUSES GREATEST DAMAGE TO CARGO TRAFFIC

ZAGREB, Dec 4 (Hina) - Commenting on Wednesday's decision by the central strikers' committee of the Croatian Railway Workers' Union to resume all passenger services, Transport Minister Zeljko Luzavec said that the greatest damage was caused by the suspension of freight trains. Luzavec told a news conference in Zagreb that the government would provide trucks for transport of commodities in order to absorb at least some of the damage done by the strike which began last Thursday. He reiterated that there was no reason for the strike and that the government had fulfilled all of its obligations towards rail workers. "There's no reason for (the government) to give in," to the union's demands, Luzavec said. Although the Railway Workers' Union wanted to "provoke a conflict with the government" to get other unions to join the strike, "the government will not issue a compulsory work order but will use legal procedures in line with Croatian legislation and international conventions, he added. Luzavec said that "giving in to some of the unions would mean the strike of the others." Speaking of cases of a forced participation in the strike, which was one of the reasons why Croatian Railways (HZ) management demanded the strike be banned, HZ director Marijan Klaric gave the names of workers in Rijeka, Osijek, Novska and Kutina who had been forced to join the strike. Klaric rejected union allegations that Mladen Bakis had been relieved of his duties as a train dispatcher in the Istrian town of Borut. (hina) vm mm 042031 MET dec 96