The Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (UATUC) observed a worrying trend in 2017 whereby almost every strike action against which employers had asked for a judicial ban was prohibited by the judicial authorities. UATUC has denounced the narrow interpretation by courts of trade union interests and of their balancing with business interests, as was the case with the prohibition of the strike in Hrvatski studiji University in 2017.
Moreover, in the fall 2017 the government adopted the Utility Services Act despite UATUC objections. According to the union, the Act is contrary to section 214 of the Labour Code, as it enables the employer to unilaterally adopt rules which can limit the right to strike.
