CROATIAN POST WORKERS CANCEL STRIKE ANNOUNCED FOR MAY 1

ZAGREB, April 19 (Hina) - The Croatian Post Union (HSP) and the Croatian Post (HP) management have reached an agreement, with mediation from the Ministry of Labour and Social Care, cancelling the strike of post employees which was to take place on Saturday, the HSP reported on Monday. According to the agreement, the HP Management will by June 1 draw up the final work schedule in all HP units, respecting a regulation of the collective agreement on a five-day work week, with the possibility of post offices also working Saturdays. The two sides agreed that the salaries of some 9,000 post workers follow the increase of living costs. Therefore, the salaries of HP workers will be increased by 3.45 per cent retroactively for the period between October last year and March this year. At the beginning of this month, the HSP announced all-day strikes on every Saturday starting on May 1. The Union demanded that the branch agreement regulation on a five-day work week be respected and that workers' salaries be harmonised with living costs. (hina) rml