Union Concerned as Prime Minister Negotiates Amendments to the Labor Law with Employers

Independent Croatian Trade Unions (NHS) expressed their concern in today’s letter to Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, as she announced new amendments to the Labor Law (ZOR) aimed at stimulating the economy and exiting the crisis after a recent meeting with representatives of the Croatian Employers’ Association.

Is the Government negotiating with employers at the expense of the unions and behind the backs of workers, the union asks. "Can you inform us what exactly your announcement of new amendments to the ZOR means and what you have agreed with employers to change in the recently amended ZOR?" While most countries around the world are slowly emerging from the economic crisis, Croatia is still sinking – unemployment continues to rise, and in February we reached the number of unemployed from 2004, dangerously approaching the year 2003, warns NHS in the letter.

Our concern is also growing because nothing is being done in the area of unpaid wages, despite the Government’s explanations that a good part of these unpaid obligations falls on legal and physical persons who exist only "on paper". According to official data, at the end of 2009, legal and physical persons employing more than 73,000 workers in Croatia recorded more than 27.1 billion kuna in unpaid obligations. Meanwhile, employers send messages that it is necessary to "loosen" and reduce workers’ rights to exit the crisis and to flexibilize the labor market in favor of capital.

Indicators for 2009 show that a large number of employers, in the absence of quality anti-recession measures and due to their own capabilities, resorted to reducing wages and material rights, as well as laying off workers. Employers continue to use the crisis to seek flexibilization of the labor market, facilitate layoffs, reduce workers’ rights, and promote fixed-term employment, and it seems they have your support in this, writes NHS to the Prime Minister.   "Rest assured that unions cannot and will not agree to further reductions in workers’ rights. The paths to stopping the crisis and exiting it should be sought elsewhere, especially within themselves and their employer partners, and not among workers who are tired of paying others’ bills," the letter states.   (H)