"I believe that it would be good to accept the Prime Minister's invitation as the negotiations held within the Economic and Social Council (GSV) have failed," the HSLS chief told reporters in Split after the founding session of the HSLS women's initiative, suggesting that one should always respond to the premier's invitations for meetings.
He called for a compromise between the government, employers and trade unions regarding their disputes on the planned change of the labour legislation.
"I do not support a possibility for collective agreements to be valid indefinitely upon their expiry, as has been the case so far. It is not good also to have an abrupt cessation of all worker rights the next day upon the expiry of collective agreements," said the head of the HSLS, a junior partner in the ruling coalition.
He proposes a compromise solution of a one-year-long transitional period for the validity of collective agreements upon their expiry.
"During that period employers and trade unions could find a joint solution and agree on new collective agreements," Darinko Kosor said.
Trade union leaders said at a press conference in Zagreb earlier in the day they would be rejecting calls from Prime Minister Kosor for a meeting until the government withdrew the proposed amendments.
The unions have rejected the invitation to meet with the prime minister on June 8 because she stood by the decision to amend the Labour Act claiming that "the government is not abolishing the collective agreements, but is trying to improve collective bargaining in new circumstances" characterised by a GDP decline of between five and six per cent.