The signature collection drive for a referendum against government-proposed amendments to labour legislation and the second all-union convention represent "an awakening of Croatian people" who are beginning to have faith in themselves again, trade union leaders said at a meeting in Zagreb on Monday.
In the first five days we have collected 62 per cent of the 450,000 signatures required for the referendum, and our campaign is assuming proportions of a plebiscite of citizens discontent with the present situation in society, the coordinator of trade union federations, Ozren Matijasevic, said in his address.
The strong response of citizens, who are queueing in the sweltering heat to sign the petition for the referendum, is a message to the government and the employers to finally assume responsibility for the results of their work. It is also a message to the trade unions to unite in the struggle to protect workers' rights, union leaders said in their speeches, frequently interrupted by cheering and applause.
