Trade unions of teachers in primary and secondary schools and in tertiary education and the nurses' trade union on Wednesday threatened to launch a period of "social unrest and resistance" over the government's decision to cancel the Basic Collective Agreement for public sector services.
We are conducting serious preparations for strikes, protests and lawsuits to pressure the government "to give us back what it seized from us" and to sign a fair collective agreement, the secondary school teachers' union leader, Branimir Mihalinec, told a news conference in Zagreb on Wednesday.
He announced the launching of court proceedings against the government's cancellation of the Basic Collective Agreement by the end of this week.
The Croatian government decided on Monday to terminate the Basic Collective Agreement for public service employees, the government's press service announced in a statement.
The agreement will formally expire three months from 17 September.
The termination of the agreement followed a failed conciliation process between the government and four public service unions which had refused to agree to a reduction of their entitlements under the present Basic Collective Agreement.
Labour Minister Mirando Mrsic announced earlier in the day that the government would cancel the agreement and begin negotiations on a new one.
