RAILWAY WORKERS' UNION CALLS HZ MANAGEMENT TO PUBLIC CONFRONTATION

CONFRONTATION $ ZAGREB, Dec 11 (Hina) - The Croatian Railway Workers' Union which is in its fourteenth day of strike, on Wednesday called the Croatian Railways (HZ) management and the Croatian government to a "public confrontation of views". The Union's president, Zlatko Pavletic, told a news conference in Zagreb that the government wanted to break up the strike regardless of the damage because it would be less expensive to do that than to ensure 205 million kuna to settle the HZ expenses till the end of the year. Speaking about the plans for the restructuring of the HZ, Pavletic said that between 7,000 and 9,000 employees would be dismissed from work, adding that the HZ management was only interested in obtaining USD 80 million for severance payments. "We ask for the government's explanation on how a billion and 200 million kuna was spent, which is the money set aside from the State Budget for the HZ, and for the State Auditors Board publishes its findings about the revision in the HZ," Pavletic said. Pavletic described the HZ management's warning that strikers would not be paid for the time spent in strike as pressure. He also stressed that the management's information about 3,065 workers being on strike were not accurate. "Around 11,000 people are in strike," Pavletic said. (hina) lm jn 111622 MET dec 96