Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has said that she is calling on and expecting trade union federations to sit at the negotiating table in order to resume dialogue which she deems to be possible and necessary in a bid to take the country out of the crisis.
"I am waiting for a response from the trade union federations to the proposal to resume talks and to continue the work within the Economic and Social Council. In the meantime, preparations (for a referendum requested by the unions) are going on, as it is the government that has to secure money and everything else to see to it that the referendum may be held as soon as possible," Kosor told reporters during her visit to the Children's Home in Nazorova Street in Zagreb on Sunday.
Asked by reporters whether she had given exaggerated figures when estimating that the referendum on the labour legislation would cost HRK 170 million, she said that the figures were based on the elections held so far.
Preparing a referendum is the same thing as preparing elections. Everything must be done in an impeccable manner, including the checking of all signatures, the premier said adding that the government was doing preparations for the referendum, respecting the voice of the people.
Trade union federations reported that they had mustered over 720,000 signatures during a two-week signature-collecting drive in a bid to get a referendum against the government-sponsored draft amendments to the Labour Act. The requirement was 449,506 signatures of Croatian eligible voters.
Kosor said today that she had called on all social partners, that is unionists and employers for the continuation of dialogue.
There are three social partners in Croatia: the government, trade unions and employers. We must talk in order to do everything necessary to facilitate the implementation of the economic recovery programme and get out of the crisis, said Kosor stressing that the recovery must be "the goal of all three partners".
