Zagreb  - A Croatian labour union launched nationwide protests Wednesday, demanding government measures to shield workers from the effects of the crisis, but amid criticism and without support from the main workers organizations.

The HUS union opened its week of protests in Vinkovci, a town on Croatia's eastern border, with plans to spread them over the next seven days before closing with a demonstration in Zagreb, the internet news portal Index reported.

But just a "modest few hundred" workers responded to the call on the first day, the national television HTV, with protests scheduled in a different city each day.

HUS was blasted by other labour organizations, which accused it of being Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's "Trojan horse" by staging meek protests without clear targets.

"These protests may actually do the government a favour by channeling the public discontent under controlled conditions," Ana Knezevic of the largest union, the SSSH, said.

"Central unions will certainly organize protests with clear goals and we will call colleagues from HUS to join us," Kresimir Sever of Croatian Independent Unions told Portal. Three "central unions" group more than 300,000 workers, compared to 35,000 with HUS.

HUS leader Ozren Matijasevic dismissed the accusations as "ridiculous" in a statement.

Croatia, close to attaining European Union membership, but with its path blocked by a border row with Slovenia, has been hit hard by the global economic crisis.

Apparently unable to curb spending, Kosor's cabinet has hiked value added tax (VAT) and introduced a so-called crisis tax. The unions lashed out at the crisis tax, saying it was unprogressive, targeting only those with a lower income.

HUS holds its protest saying it wants the government to scrap the crisis tax altogether, to return the VAT rate from 23 to 22 per cent and totally lift it from food and school books and instead to save money in the state administration.(dpa)