The government's economic recovery programme has caused a dispute between Economy Minister Djuro Popijac and the trade unions, who criticised the government for not consulting them on the anti-recession measures.
Commenting on the programme after the signing of an agreement to establish a Social Council for the Textile, Leather, Footwear and Rubber Industries on Tuesday, the head of the Croatian Trade Unions Association (HUS), Ozren Matijasevic, said that the trade unions were discontent because the measures were presented to the public without previous dialogue with the social partners.
Matijesvic said such a move made a social consensus on the measures impossible, adding that his impression was that the programme was launched in order to buy time or prepare for elections.
Popijac denied this, saying that the Prime Minister had a right to present her programme for economic recovery. He added that the trade unions would have an opportunity to give their opinion on the programme and propose modifications.
Matijasevic said that the trade unions were not against the measures because they had been advocating most of them in public.
Bernard Jakelic of the Croatian Employers Association (HUP) welcomed most of the measures, saying that they included elements on which the HUP had been insisting, such as reduction or annulment of parafiscal levies. He added that the employers were interested in a thorough discussion on the measures and time limits for their implementation.
