The government's negotiating team and leaders of trade unions of employees in the police, the defence sector, the judiciary and in tax and customs administrations, who on Wednesday held the fourth round of their negotiations on a new Collective Agreement for 60,000 civil servants, agreed that the new document would be signed on 2 August.
The government's representatives -- ministers Neven Mimica and Mirando Mrsic -- and the unionists harmonised their views on the new four-year Collective Agreement and on a supplement regulating exceptions for this and next year.
It has been also agreed that the competent agencies review the deal and we expect the signing of the Collective Agreement on 2 August, with the beginning of its enforcement as of this August, Minister Mimica said after the latest round of the talks in Zagreb,
One of the important elements is the systematic regulation of transport allowances so as to prevent the abuse of this entitlement.
The police trade union leader Dubravko Jagic expressed hope that the deal would be signed on 2 August after the document was considered by trade unionists.
Perhaps not all members of trade unions will be satisfied with the (negotiations') outcome, however we have opted for signing the deal given the situation in the country and after some public sector trade unions signed such Collective Agreement, Jagic said.
He added that the good thing was that the agreement would be in force for four years.
We have given up some entitlements, but only temporary and we want the Collective Agreement to be complied with and fully enforced, he added.
Under the agreement, there will be no payment of Christmas bonuses this and next year, and holiday cash grants would not be paid next year.
Annexes to the Collective Agreement are to regulate the jubilee awards for civil servant working for 10, 20, 30 or 40 years in their jobs.
The government believes that the implementation of the new collective agreement can help in saving two billion kuna from the wage budget for the public sector.
