Zagreb, 19 November 2009 – As was announced the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Mr. Luka Bebić met the trade union delegation. At this meeting, presidents Ana Knežević (UATUC), Krešimir Sever (NHS), Ozren Matijašević (HUS) and Damir Jakuš (URSH) submitted trade union amendments to the draft Act on Labour proposed by the Government. They explained the most problematic issues, demanding special attention to be paid to the issue of fixed-term work.

At the beginning of the meeting, Mr Bebić said that he was not very much familiar with the issue, however that the Prime Minister Mrs Jadranka Kosor that morning informed him that the “trade unions and employers spent 15 months on mutual agreement and that they failed hence the Government is sending such proposal to the parliamentary procedure. In the second phase of negotiations on the Act on Labour the Government is ready to solve everything the trade unions are demanding”. Finally trade unions got the support from the Speaker saying that in the discussion about the Act on Labour he will support the trade union amendments. However, he will discuss it in greater detail with the Prime Minister. Speaker of the Croatian Parliament gave the green light to trade union representatives to be present and sit on the gallery during the discussion on the Act on Labour.

Trade unions will demand from the Club of MPs of the ruling party HDZ, which forms the majority in the Parliament, to organize a joint meeting with the Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament and president of the HDZ Club of MPs Mr. Andrija Hebrang.