PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER RECEIVES RAIL WORKERS' UNION REPS.

ZAGREB, Oct 26 (Hina) - Representatives of the Croatian Rail Workers' Union, whose members rallied in front of the parliament building on Thursday protesting a proposed Croatian Railways (HZ) restructuring and modernisation programme, were received by parliamentary speaker Zlatko Tomcic. Union representatives drew Tomcic's attention to omissions in the programme, which envisages laying off 1,400 HZ workers by the end of this and another 1,700 over the next two years. Union president Darko Pericic said the union objected to the announced privatisation of HZ without a previously passed privatisation law and maintained HZ workers should have stocks in rail hotels and holiday establishments, partly built with their money. Pericic handed Tomcic a 12,700-signature petition gathered in Slavonia protesting the closure of a regional railroad, saying the programme envisaged closing several tracks without a clear criterion. He says tracks can be closed only following an integral financial analysis in HZ. The parliamentary speaker said the HZ restructuring programme would get on the House of Representatives agenda after being considered by parliament's Committee on Transport and Communications. He said he would brief the committee about the union's demands and invited union representatives to attend as observers a lower house debate on the matter. (hina) ha