The government and public sector workers' unions agreed on Tuesday on a new basic collective agreement whereby the unions gave up a Christmas bonus for this year of HRK 1,250 per employee (170 euros), union representatives said after a meeting at the government.
Government, unions agree - public sector workers give up Christmas bonus
Public sector workers will have to make do with a cash grant and a children's gift given that the money envisaged for Christmas bonuses will go to the unemployed.
In return, the government accepted that the new basic collective agreement should last three years and that it cannot be cancelled unless economic circumstances changed significantly, such as in case of a further deepening of the current economic crisis and further GDP decline.
The government scrapped a motion under which the collective agreement could have been cancelled due to fiscal circumstances too, such as in case of declining budget revenues, Spomenka Avbersek, head of the union of health sector workers, told reporters.
The unions accepted that travel expenses would no longer be paid to workers who live less than one kilometre from the workplace.
Avbersek said she was pleased with what was agreed today, adding that 90 per cent of the union's demands were accepted.
The governments and the unions still need to agree some technical details of the collective agreement, which is expected to be signed soon.
The basic collective agreement for the public sector expired on July 31, and government and union negotiating committees resumed negotiations on a new agreement last week.
