Leaders of four public-sector trade unions told a news conference in Zagreb on Tuesday that the government obviously needed the support from trade unions and their members as it concluded that it was more favourable for it to wait for the outcome of a 12-13 September referendum than cancelling the Basic Collective Agreement.
Unionists of those four unions that would carry out the referendum among its members on an annex to the Collective Agreement which the government has proposed during the reconciliation, said today that they would immediately launch a campaign in order to present the referendum's subject matter to members of those unions of primary school teachers, secondary school teachers, university lecturers and scholars, and nurses.
On Monday, the representatives of those four public-sector unions and Labour Minister Mirando Mrsic held the second round of the reconciliation process after the unions earlier this summer rejected proposals for changing the Collective Agreement. Yesterday, it was agreed that process of reconciliation between the government and those four public-sector unions would resume on 15 September, immediately after the implementation of the 12-13 September referendum.
In the continuation of reconciliation, the unions' leaders will act according to the referendum's outcome. Members of those four unions, whose membership is estimated at 66,000, will vote for or against the proposed annex to the Basic Collective Agreement.
Earlier this summer, the government's negotiating team reached agreement with public-sector trade unions that represent health, culture and social welfare workers regarding the amended Collective Agreement for public employees.
