Croacia - Government ignores social dialogue (2011)

In May 2010 the Government proposed further changes to the Labour Code, recently harmonised with the EU standards, which would allow for an easier cancellation of collective agreements. The amendments were sent to Parliament without prior consultation with the social partners. In order to prevent the amendments, five trade union confederations managed to collect more than 800,000 signatures for a referendum on the issue. Trade unions also temporarily suspended their participation in the Economic and Social Council (ESC) in May, as the Government did not respect the procedure for prior consultations in this body either. The dispute over the Labour Law was eventually resolved through negotiations, but trade unions remain outside the ESC.