ZAGREB, August 21, 2019 - Two trade unions in the Croatian bus transport system on Wednesday said that they would hold a ten-minute walkout on Friday morning in all regular bus services across Croatia, demanding a wage increase and for a collective agreement to be concluded.

Buses in regular services will stop driving at ten o'clock Friday for ten minutes, only buses driving on motorways at the time of the action will continue to operate.

Services at bus stations will also stop working during the ten-minute action, and disgruntled workers are going to hold a protest rally outside the building of the Ministry of the Maritime Affairs and Transport in Zagreb.

One of their demands is that bus drivers should be given the status of officials in cases when they are exposed to attacks and threats.

The union leaders said today that they requested an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and the ministers of transport, finance, economy and education.

They said that they would hold another strike action on 8 September if their demands were not met.

They also demand that the authorities finally comply with Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on public passenger transport services by rail and by road.

More news about bus transportation in Croatia can be found in the Travel section.

ZAGREB, February 6, 2019 - Workers at the Same Deutz Fahr Žetelice factory, who have been on strike since January 9 due to low wages, expect that the Supreme Court will deliver a ruling in their favour after the company's management filed a lawsuit insisting that the industrial action is unlawful.

If the court rules against the strike, workers will comply with the ruling, however, they will not refrain from seeking an increase in wages, union leader Marko Ivkošić said on Tuesday.

"We've heard that the Supreme Court has made its decision and we are convinced that it will stand on our side because we fulfilled all the prerequisites to call the strike. In any case, Vukovar County Court ruled in our favour and we believe that the Supreme Court will uphold the county court's decision," he added.

He recalled that 95% of the company's 400 workers are on strike and are seeking an increase of 750 kuna and an 8% allowance for special working conditions.

According to the unionist, the cost of employees amounts to a mere 8% of the company's revenue and with the increase costs would still remain under 10%.

He added that a wage of 3,500 kuna was disgraceful adding that workers in the same branch in the region are earning a minimum of 5,000 kuna adding that 85 young workers have left the company over the past two years and have emigrated to countries where they can earn 2,000 euro (approx. 15,000 kuna).

The Županja-based factory is part of the Italian Same Deutz Fahr corporation and it produces 400 combine harvesters a year, most of which end up on the European market. It is the only factory of its kind in Croatia and prior to its privatisation it was part of the Đuro Đaković factory for farm machinery.

More news on the strikes in Croatia can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, November 27, 2018 - After the government and public sector unions agreed a 3% pay rise as of January 1 and a 2% pay rise as of September 1, 2019, the same pay rise was agreed later on Tuesday with state administration unions.

The government equally appreciates and respects both public sector and state administration unions, Labour Minister Marko Pavić said after the negotiations, adding that the ministry made the state administration unions the same offer it made the public sector unions earlier today.

The unions and the ministry also agreed to resume talks next year for a rise in 2020.

Police Union president Dubravko Jagić said the public sector unions had "tied" the hands of the state administration unions because, had they continued to negotiate as intended and as discussed with the government, the rise could have been 3% plus 3% or 3% plus 4%, rather than 3% plus 2%,.

The president of one state administration union, Boris Pleša, said he hoped the negotiations were concluded with the same conditions agreed with the public sector unions.

Earlier today, the government and public sector unions brought the conciliation process to a successful conclusion after agreeing a base pay rise of 3% as of January 1 and of 2% as of September 1 next year, as a result of which the unions scrapped their plan to begin a strike on November 28.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Labour and Pension System Minister Marko Pavić said that the extra 2% would require 150 million kuna, which he said would be secured through budget savings.

The leader of the Independent Union of Secondary School Teachers, Branimir Mihalinec, said that the eight unions were suspending all activities regarding a strike planned for November 28.

The agreement will be signed on Wednesday. The decision to accept the government's "three plus two percent" proposal was not unanimous, "but we have got closer, to some extent, to our demands being met," Mihalinec said.

For more on the Croatian public sector, click here.

ZAGREB, October 23, 2018 - Striking workers in the Rijeka-based 3. Maj shipyard on Tuesday continued their industrial action over unpaid wages, and in the morning they left the premises of the dock to take a protest walk through that northern Croatian coastal town.

ZAGREB, September 3, 2018 - Workers of Rijeka's 3. Maj shipyard came to work on Monday and the striking committee has decided to end the strike which was put on hold on Friday, committee chairman Veljko Todorović said. He said only minor work was being done in the dock as there was still no material to resume production.

ZAGREB, August 31, 2018 - The payment of wages for July to workers of the Uljanik Group started on Friday, union steward Đino Šverko said on Friday afternoon, adding that the strike committee will on Monday make a formal decision on the end of the industrial action which started ten days ago, and workers in the shipbuilding and repair group will resume working on Monday.

ZAGREB, August 29, 2018 - The workers of the Uljanik shipyard marched down the streets of Pula again on Wednesday, the sixth day of their strike over unpaid wages for July, joined by more and more citizens every day.

ZAGREB, August 27, 2018 - After meeting with the striking council from the Pula- and Rijeka-based shipyards on Monday, Economy Minister Darko Horvat said that intensive effort was being made to secure two wages for workers at the Uljanik Group and that he hoped that by the end of the week a solution would be found for at least one pay.

ZAGREB, August 27, 2018 - The Supreme Court has upheld a Zagreb County Court ruling of 9 August banning a strike at the country's national flag carrier, Croatia Airlines (CA).

ZAGREB, August 27, 2018 - Following a meeting with government officials in Zagreb on Monday, representatives of the striking committee in the Uljanik and 3. Maj shipyards, whose workers have been on a strike since last Wednesday over unpaid wages for July, said that money for two monthly wages could be secured by the end of the week and that the strike would end after they received their wages for July.