Unions will hold a series of protests in other Croatian cities in early December to fight for the rights of Croatian citizens, unionists told a news conference in Zagreb on Wednesday.

If the government fails to respect the will of 717,000 citizens who are in favour of a referendum on the labour legislation, trade unions are also prepared to organise a petition for early elections, they told reporters.

Trade union leaders are expected to meet with Prime Minister Kosor on Friday, 19 November. They said today that they would insist on rounds of negotiations until 22 December on their demands such as the change of the economic and social situation in the country.

If the negotiations fail, trade unions will organise another general strike and protest activities in early 2011.

Leaders said trade union federations would meet on 30 November, while the series of protests will start on 3 December in the northern Adriatic city of Rijeka, followed by Pula on 4 December, Osijek on 6 December and Split on 8 December.

Protest activities are expected to culminate in Zagreb on December 10 when a general strike in all sectors is also expected to be held, unionist Vilim Ribic said.

Protests will be called off in case an agreement on the holding of a referendum is reached at the meeting with PM Kosor on Friday.

Union leaders accused the government of telling untruth when claiming that the referendum on amendments to the Labour Act would cost HRK 170 million. They said that the government allocated HRK 50 million for a similar referendum, the one on joining the EU.

Ribic praised the fight against corruption, adding however that senior office-holders should not lie or steal.

Unionist Ozren Matijasevic said that according to his information, of the HRK 170 million which the government envisaged for the labour legislation referendum in the budget revision for 2010, HRK 158 million had already been spent. He insists on criminal responsibility of those who spent the money allocated for the holding of the referendum.