HT UNIONS TO HOLD ONE-HOUR PROTEST RALLY ON TUESDAY

ZAGREB, June 1 (Hina) - All the six trade unions in the Croatian Telekom (HT) will stage a one-hour protest rally on Tuesday, June 5, and if the HT management fails to accept their demands after the protest, a few days later HT workers will switch off the tariff system, which implies that citizens will be able to use HT services free of charge. Unionists will protest in front of all telecommunications centres in Croatia on Tuesday, but the system will function as usual, the unions' representatives said on Friday. The unions insist that the management make it possible for the workers of secondary services in the HT who will be transferred to newly-established companies within the HT restructuring, to have their rights ensured for the next four years as if they were still HT employees and to have the protection against possible bankruptcy in another four years. The management, however, offers to such workers the same rights which HT workers have in the coming three years, and to have the protection against bankruptcy in another two years. The unions demand the repayment of a loss of 72 million kuna which, according to them, the management owes due to its failure to respect the collective agreement. One of unionists' leaders, Josip Pupic, said that during their meeting with the HT management chairman, Ivica Mudrinic, on Friday morning, the two opposing parties did not manage to make their stands closer. (hina) ms