The Labour Act has two tasks: on the one hand, it guarantees minimum rights to workers; and, on the other, it sets the framework within which workers and employers negotiate and agree working conditions.
Labour law was created in the 19th century when the state got involved in contractual relations between workers and employers. This happened because it recognised that workers are the weaker party in this relationship and that their position needs to be strengthened. 
Therefore, although working conditions are, in principle, defined through employment contracts and modified through collective agreements, amendments to the Labour Act always signal a change in the power relationship between workers and employers in general. In a broader sense, they also signal a change in the state’s attitude towards economic and social rights and the position of citizens. 
The Labour Act is, however, not the only regulation governing labour rights in Croatia. There are also laws regulating other rights arising from the employment relationship (e.g. the Occupational Health and Safety Act); labour relations for certain categories of worker or in particular sectors (e.g. Civil Servants Act, Act on Higher Education); the large number of rules and other by-laws; and we must not forget international sources such as the conventions of the International Labour Organization. 
The rules regulating employment relationships are inseparable from rules and measures regulating employment policies. 

The UATUC advocates labour legislation and a labour rights system that can truly provide workers with the effective protection of their rights and enable them to negotiate these. 

This is of particular importance in current labour market circumstances, these being a consequence of decades of neglect of the role of work and workers in society and of social production. 
The aim of labour legislation and its modification cannot be to stimulate the economy and entrepreneurial activity; nor can labour legislation be the only regulator of relations between workers and employers. The system of labour relations must be based on collective agreements in order that the specificities of individual activities might be recognised. 
An important part of our activity is monitoring the implementation of labour legislation. Through daily contact with our members and trade unions, providing legal assistance, filing complaints and petitions, seeking interpretation and initiating court procedures, we work towards ensuring that the law achieves its purpose in practice. We inform the competent authorities about cases of abuse and of gaps in the law and request their intervention. 
As it is necessary to look at the position of workers holistically, and in order to formulate our own positions, we conduct empirical research on the reality of working conditions in Croatia.
In terms of content, the UATUC stands for halting the trend of the flexibilisation of labour relations and for extending labour law and social protection to all those who work or live from their work in Croatia. 
We believe that everyone in Croatia should have the right to work fit for people – work which is well-paid; does not jeopardise physical or mental health; enables learning and career progress; offers security through open-ended employment contracts and coverage by social security systems; facilitates voice in the workplace, including freedom of organising and trade union activity; and is carried out in working time whose quantity and manner of organisation leaves sufficient space for private life and its planning.