Trade unions that are members of the SSSH union federation on Monday demanded the launch of negotiations on sector collective agreements in the metal industry, public transport operators providing regular bus services, agriculture, the food industry as well as in the timber and paper industry.

The SSSH representatives told a news conference in Zagreb that in April this year they had initiated the conclusion of sector collective agreements, however, employers did not show readiness.

The SSSH leader Mladen Novosel said that currently about 600 collective agreements are in effect, and an estimated 650,000 workers are covered by them.

The rate of coverage by collective agreements is about 55%.

However, a mere two sector collective agreements have been concluded: one for the construction sector and the other for restaurant and cafe staff. Other collective agreements are at the level of agreements with individual employers.

Novosel says that collective bargaining is the most efficient tool to regulate the labor market through direct interaction between employers and workers, that is unions.

Systems of collective bargaining have a positive effect on macroeconomic stability, he added.