UPPER HOUSE SUPPORTS BILL ON PENSIONS, MANAGEMENT OF PENSION, DISA

PENSION, DISA $ BILITY INSURANCE FUND ZAGREB, 4 Feb (Hina) - After an extensive and heated discussion, the Croatian Parliament upper house on Tuesday supported with a majority vote a bill on pensions and other forms of financial income from the pension and disability fund and the management of pension and disability insurance fund. #L# According to the bill, pensioners would be paid pension differences from 1993 due to which pensions were not harmonized with salaries. The differences would be paid during 18 months starting from 1 March this year. Some 500 million kunas would be needed for that, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Joso Skara said. Pensions would not be harmonized with salaries but with living costs, Skara said. Opposition representatives criticized the bill, describing it as a 'pre-election move', which was opposed by Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) representatives. Representatives of the Croatian Social-Liberal Party (HSLS) said they would not vote for the bill as they did not want to win votes in that way, since 'it was swindling of pensioners'. HSLS representatives criticized the fact that the bill made no mention of how the Government would secure necessary means as well as the fact that the Government decided on the system of following living costs, and not on following salaries, as it would mean higher pensions. HSLS representatives were supported by Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS) representatives. Rejecting the remarks by Opposition representatives, HDZ members said that at the time it gained its independence, the Croatian state had found empty pension funds which had to be established anew, adding there was a whole range of other tasks the state had to deal with. (hina) rm jn 041626 MET feb 97