Eleven public-sector unions announced at a press conference in Zagreb on Tuesday that they would stage a strike on June 5 if no agreement was reached with the government within the next five days.
Union leader Vilim Ribic said that they were not happy to go on strike but that they knew no other way of protecting their own interests.
Commenting on a failed meeting with the government on Monday, Ribic said that Labour and Pension System Minister Mirando Mrsic was not focused enough on resolving the problems at hand. He said that Public Administration Minister Arsen Bauk and Finance Minister Slavko Linic did not consider their demands unrealistic.
When asked by the press if it had been said at the meeting that in order for their demands to be met 10,000 public-sector employees would have to be laid off, Ribic said that no one had said that.
The unions demand reinstatement of all allowances and benefits that had been either reduced or abolished, the previous wage indices, and involvement in dealing with the problem of surplus labour. They also seek firm guarantees that workers' rights will not be encroached upon anymore.
The unions said they would inform the public about details of the planned strike on Monday June 3.
