After the parliament on Friday adopted legislation on the suspension of payment of salary supplements to public sector employes, leaders of five union federations once again expressed their disagreement with the government decision and regretted that the government did not accept their request to withdraw the bill.
The unionists also said they were shocked by the fact that by voting for the said law parliamentary deputies put their party interest above "universal and European, but also national standards and values".
Without a doubt, the government is a stronger partner than unions, which is why it needed to negotiate in good faith, as a social partner, without using its power as the sponsor of the law, the unionists said.
Given that the law suspends parts of the collective agreements that are in force, this represents a violation of conventions of the International Labour Organisation, the European Social Charter, the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights (included in the Lisbon Treaty from 2009), as well as the Croatian Constitution, the unionists claim.
In order to protect the right to collective bargaining and the right to union organisation, the unionists said they would contest the law by all legal means available before national, European and international institutions.
