ZAGREB, November 15, 2018 - Some 50 unionists and employees of the Croatian Mine Action Centre (HCR) rallied on Thursday outside the government and parliament buildings in St. Mark's Square to protest against a government decision under which as of 1 January 2019 the HCR will be joined with the Ministry of the Interior and cease to exist as a separate demining public institution, which could significantly slow down or even stop the mine removal process.

The union of mine removal experts claims that the government's decision of August 2, which is aimed at reducing the number of agencies, funds and institutes, was made without any prior analysis with regard to the HCR and it fears that this could hamper the absorption of money from EU funds and the mine removal process.

They sought a meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković or his deputy Tomislav Tolušić, who is in charge of implementing the government decision.

Unionist Mario Barjaktarić told reporters that the planned integration of the HCR and the Ministry of the Interior would also bring into question the rights of mine removal experts, which the union would not accept. He said that the HCR's reorganisation in the last three months had been carried out covertly and that the union had been marginalised in the process.

Barjaktarić also noted that some high-ranking officials knowingly counted on a part of dissatisfied workers leaving, given that their wages would drop after the HCR was joined with the Ministry of the Interior.

Another unionist, Željko Tkalčević, said that the process of mine removal in Croatia would be completed in a few years' time, by which time most workers would have met retirement conditions.

A total of 160 HCR employees and about 600 other people from the private sector are involved in the mine removal process.

Tkalčević said that because of this, there is no reason to join the HCR and the Ministry of the Interior, especially not without a prior analysis.

Currently 70% of mine removal exerts meet retirement conditions, and there is a lack of such professionals on the labour market, Tkalčević said, expressing concern that the mine removal process could come to a halt.

For more on the demining efforts in Croatia, click here.

ZAGREB, May 23 (Hina) - In the last 20 years, Croatia has spent nearly 5.5 billion kuna (743 million euro) on mine clearance operations, and 595 people have been injured by mine explosions since the end of the 1991-1995 war, including 203 fatally, the Croatian parliament was told on Friday.

ZAGREB, April 4, 2018 - Some 405 square kilometres of land in Croatia is still contaminated with unexploded ordnance left over from the 1991-1995 war of independence, and the country is expected to be cleared of mines by 2026, an event in the eastern town of Osijek marking the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was told on Wednesday.