ZAGREB, August 14, 2019 – Three trade union federations which go by the acronyms the SSSH, the NHS and the MHS, said on Wednesday that they would not respond to Labour Minister Josip Aladrović’s invitation to talks until the parliament decided to call a referendum against the statutory retirement age of 67.
The newly-appointed labour and pension system minister previously invited trade unions to a meeting set for August 22, “for the sake of further development of social dialogue, cooperation and partnership.”
“For the meeting to be held, the key dispute that has lasted for months needs to be resolved. Until the parliament adopts a decision to call a referendum based on the ’67 is too much’ initiative, the government’s commitment to defining and implementing policies and measures for sustainable development through a true social dialogue will remain questionable,” the three trade union federations said in a joint statement.
The unions believe that the relationship between them and the government deteriorated additionally in 2018, when the government defined a new pension reform without consultation with trade unions.
That was the reason why unions launched a signature-collection campaign to ask for a referendum on changes to retirement terms.
“That was the reason why the agreement on the establishment of the new Economic and Social Council was not signed, and the government’s anti-reform campaign resulted in our demand for the replacement and later resignation of the former minister and for the termination of the old agreement,” the three trade union federations said, noting that their decision to walk out of social dialogue did not happen overnight and that social dialogue could not be restored overnight either.
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