ZAGREB, July 6 (Xinhua) -- After meeting with prime minister Andrej Plenkovic on Friday, employees of the national carrier Croatia Airlines decided to postpone a strike that was set for next Monday.
The Organization of Croatia Airlines Workers (ORCA) announced in a press release that the prime minister showed understanding in their situation and expressed readiness to set necessary conditions to finalize a new collective agreement.
"After we got assurances at today's meeting with prime minister, ORCA decided to postpone the strike in order to create the necessary conditions to conclude a collective agreement in a reasonable time," ORCA said in the press release.
For the last 18 months, Croatia Airlines management and workers' union have been unsuccessfully trying to finalize a new collective agreement. Employees are asking for higher wages and less overtime work, while the management claims that the union's requests are unacceptable and unsustainable for the company.
After ORCA announced the strike plan on Tuesday, the management of Croatia Airlines replied by canceling all annual leaves approved for July and August and reducing salaries for those who will participate in the strike. The management believes that a strike in the peak of the tourist season would cause a great damage to the company and the Croatian tourism.
Croatia Airlines transported more than two million passengers last year. The company faces financial problems, dissatisfaction among employees and the brain drain of pilots and engineers.
