Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said on Tuesday, "Today we are talking with unions about Christmas bonuses, holiday cash grants and children's gifts but tomorrow, because of the difficulties, perhaps we will have to talk about salaries as well."
"There is no magic wand other than a lot of very hard work, non-stop digging into the measures from the government's economic recovery programme, and no change on the political scene or at the helm of the government can change that," Kosor said at a working lunch organised by the Croatian Employers Association.
This is certainly the hardest time for Croatia after the Homeland War and although it is not realistic to expect the formation of some economic recovery government, joint messages from the government and the opposition about some key issues would be beneficial for the return of optimism to Croatia, said Kosor.
She recalled that since stepping into office she had been calling on all relevant political actors to agree on key issues, but was afraid that a consensus was not possible due to some politicians' fear that they would lose in popularity if they supported difficult and unpopular decisions.
It would be a good message if the Social Democratic Party supported the government in some key measures, including collective agreements and Labour Act amendments, Kosor said, adding there was time for election rhetoric.
