ZAGREB, 16 Feb 2022 - Union leaders Mladen Novosel and Krešimir Sever on Wednesday said that the government's measures to cushion energy price hikes are comprehensive and will lead to a milder blow to the wallets of citizens, pensioners, socially vulnerable citizens, as well as entrepreneurs and the economy overall.

President of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH) Mladen Novosel said that the unions had met with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković just prior to the measures being presented along with representatives of pensioners and the Employers' Association.

Too much left up to "good faith" of those who raised their prices

"The measures are comprehensive, just like the unions had called for. They foresee support for socially vulnerable citizens and enterprises. On the most part, the financial measures are directed at reducing VAT, tax reliefs on electricity, gas and some food products," Novosel told Hina.

He warned that there was a "catch" in the entire story because too much has been left to the "good faith" of those who raised prices, that they might reduce some prices and not increase them any further.

Novosel believes that the government will partially reduce costs for citizens after 1 April, however, those costs that have accumulated due to price rises so far will not be reduced.

"Costs can be reduced only in the next period, perhaps through a lower annual price of electricity for citizens, a somewhat lower price for gas and cushioning additional price increases," he said.

Novosel assessed that a lower VAT on gas and heating to 5% over the next year and then a permanent reduction to 13% is a good move.

"In that period we would expect distributors to reduce the price of gas. The expectation is that gas prices on the global market will stabilise," Novosel added.

President of the Independent Trade Unions of Croatia Krešimir Sever believes that the measures will certainly lead to savings for citizens, pensioners, and entrepreneurs.

"That should all result in a much milder blow than we were afraid of and which occurred in most European countries at the end of last year," Sever said.

He added that reduced VAT on some additional food products is good because it should result in less pressure on household budgets, but there is no guarantee that will in fact occur. "We've seen this before where VAT was reduced but prices did not subsequently fall", said Sever.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, October 5, 2019 - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has received the leaders of the unions of primary and secondary school teachers, Sanja Šprem and Branimir Mihalinec respectively, who informed her about the unions' demands and the course of negotiations with the government.

The president said that ever since she took office, she had advocated that all pupils in Croatia have the same conditions for education, her office said in a press release on Saturday.

The president said that the teachers who are fully committed to their work should be acknowledged, rewarded and asked for their opinions. "We must move away from educational models of the past and give the best teachers more because they give our children the most," she said.

Congratulating all teachers on World Teachers' Day, which is observed on October 5, Grabar-Kitarović said that we should all strive to give this honourable and important profession back its well-deserved dignity.

Strong support is needed from the whole society, especially from parents who can make an active contribution to the constructive creation and adoption of a new educational methodology to make our children more active and more self-confident, which will teach them critical thinking and help them select and evaluate easily available information, the president said.

More education news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, November 26, 2018 - Negotiations between the government and public sector unions on a base pay increase resumed on Monday, with unionist Stjepan Topolnjak saying before the meeting at the Labour Ministry they expected from the government a decent offer which would not be lower than the unions' minimum demands.

Asked by reporters if the unions would agree to the payment of an increased base pay in two installments, Topolnjak said they would. We realise the government can't offer more as of January 1, so we would agree to a 3% rise as of January 1 and to another rise, another 3% minimum, as of July 1, he added.

Asked about preparations for a strike, he said they were under way but that nothing would be said publicly until after the negotiations.

Another unionist, Branimir Mihalinec, said they expected the government's final offer and that, if the union demands were fully or partly adopted, the matter would be left to union bodies to consider and endorse.

Finance Minister Zdravko Marić is attending the meeting, as requested by the unions.

Labour Minister and representatives of public sector unions began negotiations last Thursday, saying after the meeting they would reconvene today.

The unions demand a 5.8% base pay rise in 2019 but the government is offering 3%, saying it is the maximum it can do under the budget. The unions have turned this down, announcing a strike in all public services as of November 28 and from then on every week until their demands are met.

After the meeting on Monday, Labour and Pension System Minister Marko Pavić said that the final negotiating round would be held on Tuesday morning, while the president of a school employees' union, Branimir Mihalinec, said that the unions would advise their employers of a strike that is to be held on Wednesday.

The conciliation process is unfolding in good faith. However, in accordance with the law we cannot release any details to the public and more will be known tomorrow, Pavić told reporters after the meeting.

Asked whether that meant that an agreement was not achieved, Pavić said that it was agreed to continue the conciliation process early Tuesday morning.

Asked what will happen with the strike announced for Wednesday, considering that strikes have to be announced 48 hours earlier, Mihalinec said that following today's meeting the unions would advise employers of the strike set for Wednesday.

That strike can be stopped only if we come to a satisfactory agreement tomorrow, Mihalinec underscored. Asked whether that meant that they did not believe an agreement would be reached, Mihalinec said that it was necessary to undertake all the necessary steps so that the strike can be lawful and that is exactly what they are doing.

We accepted the government's proposal to try and resolve the dispute tomorrow. We have time for consultations and I believe that tomorrow we will have a final answer, he said, adding that he could not go into any detail.

"The strike is planned for Wednesday, 28 November. The next one, if we don't reach an agreement in the meantime, is scheduled for December 4 and then December 13 and so on until we reach a satisfactory agreement or agreement on the wage policy in the public sector," Mihalinec said.

Asked whether his impressions were a little more positive following today's meeting compared to last week, Mihalinec said that it is necessary to always think positive and to work toward reaching a compromise and a solution that could at least temporarily satisfy everyone.

Asked whether the fact that Finance Minister Zdravko Marić came to today's meeting was a step in that direction, Mihalinec said that the finance minister has participated in the conciliation process from the start. With regard to the upcoming consultations, Mihalinec believes that the government is taking the current situation seriously.

Public sector unions are seeking a 5.8% base pay rise next year, yet the government has offered an increase of 3%, claiming that's the most the budget can afford.

Speculation emerged during the conciliation process that wages could increase a little more but in two phases. The unions have confirmed that they would agree to a 3% increase of the base pay as of January 1 and an additional 3% as of July 1.

For more on Croatia’s public sector, click here.

ZAGREB, September 17, 2018 - Unionists on Monday walked out of a meeting with Labour and Pension System Minister Marko Pavić on a planned pension reform, saying he did not take their proposals into consideration but presented them with a finished proposal, and announcing that workers would take to the streets.

ZAGREB, August 9, 2018 - Croatia Airlines (CA) trade union representative Antonio Čorak on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction with the Zagreb County Court's decision to issue a final injunction banning a strike at Croatia Airlines and announced an appeal in the hope the decision to ban the strike would be changed.

ZAGREB, July 7, 2018 - After meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Friday, the Croatia Airlines ORCA union and pilots' union (HSPP) said that they had decided to defer their strike which was set for Monday in order to create, within a reasonable period of time, the necessary preconditions to conclude a collective agreement.

ZAGREB, May 2, 2018 - International Workers' Day, observed on 1 May, was traditionally marked in Zagreb's Maksimir Park on Tuesday under the slogan "For reforms, for the people".

ZAGREB, May 1, 2018 - The Federation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia and the Association of Croatian Trade Unions are marking this year's International Workers' Day, observed on May 1, with a joint union protest march under the slogan "For reforms, for the people," demanding fairer wages and better working conditions, a dignified life for elderly citizens, quality education and accessible health system, effective judiciary and public administration and changed relations toward and within the EU.

ZAGREB, April 26, 2018 - The NHS union federation on Wednesday staged a protest rally in St. Mark's Square between Government and Parliament Houses to warn of the unacceptable extension of working life to 67 and additional penalties being imposed for early retirement.

ZAGREB, April 9, 2018 - The leaders of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia and Association of Croatian Trade Unions, Mladen Novosel and Vilim Ribić, announced on Monday that this year on International Labour Day, observed on May 1, they would organise a joint union protest parade under the motto "For reforms, for the people," demanding fairer wages and better working conditions, a dignified life for elderly citizens, quality education and accessible health system, effective judiciary and public administration and changed relations toward the EU.