Strike Paralyzes ZET, Tomašević Blames Unions for Arbitration

Almost complete suspension of public transport and some municipal services marked the first day of the strike by ZET and Zagreb Holding workers. Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević particularly criticized the unions’ decision to start the strike before the arbitration on minimum services was completed.

– This happened despite the arbitration not being finished. This is legally prescribed, and despite the arbitration not being completed, public transport was almost completely suspended. This last happened 90 years ago – said Tomašević.

According to the data he presented, only one bus out of a total of 300 and two trams out of 200 were operational during the morning shift. On a regular day, ZET performs about 400,000 trips.

Despite this, there was no traffic collapse. The number of cars on Zagreb’s roads was about 15 percent higher than usual, which Tomašević attributed to citizens who followed the City’s recommendations and adjusted their travel methods.

– If they hadn’t, we would have had a major traffic collapse. This did not happen primarily thanks to the citizens – said the mayor.

At the same time, he announced that a continuation of the strike is expected on Tuesday and urged citizens to adjust their travel plans again.

Dispute over Minimum Services

Part of the conference was dedicated to the arbitration on minimum services. He emphasized that the ZET Management proposed that 41 percent of drivers work during the strike, while the unions suggested that only about 1.5 percent of drivers perform necessary tasks.

– This is much less than in Madrid, where they offered one and a half percent of drivers to perform necessary minimum services. Therefore, arbitration is needed to agree on that percentage – he said.

Tomašević claims that the ZET unions did not respond to the initiation of arbitration for 48 hours and that they only appointed their arbitrators on Monday around noon. Because of this, according to him, arbitration could only start on Tuesday.

The mayor assessed the strike as extremely irresponsible and attributed the responsibility for the consequences of the suspension to the union leaders.

He particularly highlighted the line between Borongaj and KBC Rebro, which was introduced so that patients and doctors could reach the hospital after the garage at Rebro was closed. This line did not operate on Monday either.

Tomašević also spoke about Čistoća. According to his data, just over ten trucks were on the field, while 48 percent of Holding workers, including Čistoća workers, were operationally on strike.

He pointed out that the Čistoća unions allowed waste collection from hospitals, while ZET did not provide a special line to KBC Rebro. Therefore, according to him, a private carrier had to step in for the transportation of patients from the Dubrava terminus to KB Dubrava.

How Much Will the Agreement Cost?

The second key part of the dispute concerns salaries. Tomašević reminded that the City offered an increase that would cumulatively amount to about 14 percent, while the unions are demanding more. According to the data he presented, ZET drivers’ salaries have increased by about 40 percent in the last three years, and municipal workers’ salaries by 87 percent.

– If we put this in the context of what the Government offers to public services, I do not understand how this can be considered incorrect – said Tomašević, adding that such a salary increase has not been recorded in the history of these companies.

The mayor also dismissed claims that workers who are on strike will receive full pay during the strike.

– It is clearly prescribed that their pay can be proportionately reduced. The Government did this last year. This is completely untrue, misleading – he said.

He urged workers to address this issue with their unions and thanked those who decided to continue working.

– No one should prevent workers from striking, but no one should prevent them from working either – he said.

Thus, the strike continues on Tuesday, while arbitration on minimum services in ZET will only just open.