Transport and Infrastructure Minister Bozidar Kalmeta said that social dialogue was a necessity and that the talks would continue next week.
This May, trade union representatives walked out of the GSV citing their dissatisfaction with the behaviour of the government and employers in times of crisis and their getting around social dialogue. Unionists' departure from the GSV was prompted by government-sponsored amendments to labour legislation (ZOR) which union federations viewed as an attempt to destroy collective bargaining.
Addressing the press after today's meeting, Minister Kalmeta said unions now insisted on the avoidance of outvoting in GSV decision-making, adding that so far three quarters of GSV decisions had been made by consensus.
The minister said that the resumption of the GSV's work was not connected with union federations' plans for a referendum against the government-sponsored amendments to ZOR.
In relation to trade unions' proposal that the fact that they had managed to collect over 810,00 signatures for their petition to get the referendum should be treated as if the referendum itself were already held, Kalmeta said he had received this proposal today and that it would be considered.
The minister recalled that the government-sponsored amendments were not on the parliament's agenda in accordance with an agreement with trade unions that the motion would not undergo parliamentary procedure until agreement to this effect.
Union leader Ozren Matijasevic said trade unions separated the issue of the referendum and ZOR from the necessity to set up social dialogue.
He announced the trade unions' key requirements regarding an agreement on economic recovery for next week and a session of the GSV after that.
In response to the question whether trade unions were a step closer to returning to the GSV, he said that this remained to be seen.
HUP leader Damir Kustrak said that it would be good to establish who in Croatia "is prepared to accept agreement and who is not".