The government will protect state property, notably in companies in which it holds a majority or a 100 per cent stake, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said at a government session on Thursday, stressing that this also applied to Croatia Airlines (CA).
New rules will go into force upon Croatia's accession to the European Union and it will no longer be possible to cheat or steal taxpayers' money. This also applies to state companies, including CA, he said, adding that the government did not want CA's fate to be that of other airlines in the region, which he said were sold to Lufthansa for one pfennig.
We have prospects and must negotiate. I urge everyone to be reasonable in their demands and play by the rules. If they want to strike, they should do so respecting the law, said the PM.
CA has been experiencing flight disruptions as of yesterday after a considerable number of cabin crew staff took sick leave. Twelve international and three domestic flights were cancelled on Wednesday. Only three were cancelled this morning and no new cancellations have been planned for today, but according to unofficial reports, flights might be cancelled due to lack of available staff.
Management does not dismiss the possibility that the mass-scale sick leave among flight attendants is a response by the cabin crew union to the employers' terms for the signing of a new collective agreement, which are aligned with a restructuring programme.
