Unions representing CA pilots, cabin crews and land staff demand that all their rights be kept intact as specified in the current collective agreement, which expired in March. They say that the new collective agreement which management signed with three other CA unions will significantly reduce their rights. Unions representing operational and administrative staff have called on management to refrain from the announced reduction of 27% of staff in these sectors.

The head of the pilots' union, Zoran Bilic, told reporters that the union had met with Labour and Pension System Minister Mirando Mrsic and management, however an agreement had not been reached.

If the strike goes ahead there are certain tasks that cannot be disrupted which means that 37% of flights will not be cancelled, he said.

Cabin crews are complaining that the new collective agreement has cut their incomes by 40% and demand that people who are not employed by CA should not be allowed to replace cabin staff.

Flight attendants see the threat to fire 42 cabin staff who recently took sick leave simultaneously as a show of power and pressure for them to accept the new collective agreement. Cabin staff are afraid of taking sick leave for fear that they may be laid off regardless of their health, the unions claimed.

The unions object to the announcement that 27% of land staff was to be laid off, claiming that any figure of 15% of staff being laid off would be detrimental to the company and new workers would have to be employed from outside the company.

The unions demand that if workers are to be laid off they should be paid full severance pay which could amount to 120,000 kuna. The unions have announced their willingness to call off the strike if some progress is made in negotiations.

The management has said it will comment on announced union actions at a press conference called for later in the day.