The unions insist on respecting the will of 717,000 citizens who have signed a union petition calling for a referendum on labour legislation, with the referendum question being the same or similar to the one initially proposed, and on regulating all issues to organise the referendum normally and enable citizens to exercise direct democracy in a simple way, the coordinator of trade union federations, Vilim Ribic, told reporters after the meeting.

He added that Josipovic accepted the unions' request to act as a mediator between unions and the executive and legislative authorities because he was interested in social stability and in solving problems through state institutions.

"We discussed ways of defining a new referendum question that would not contradict the Constitutional Court's ruling and at the same time would help achieve our main goals," said Ribic.

"If the government does not respond positively to our demands or to the President's mediation, we will honour the citizens' will and launch union actions to the extent and in the duration as desired by citizens," said Ribic, adding that unions would enable citizens to state their opinion on the situation in the country and on their right to vote in a referendum as a form of direct democracy.

Also discussed at the meeting with President Josipovic was his proposal to establish courts for labour disputes to which unions responded very positively, and the proposal is likely to be included among referendum questions, Ribic said.

The meeting between union representatives and President Josipovic was organised at the request of five trade union federations which are looking for a way out of the current situation in which, as the unions claim, decisions taken by political and legal institutions have restricted the citizens' right to a referendum. Unions have also proposed holding a similar meeting with Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.