About 3,000 police officers from all over Slovakia demonstrated outside the Government Office in Bratislava on Saturday, complaining about poor wages and about the interior minister's decision to punish police union leader Miroslav Litva after the first similar demonstration in October.

"The basic goal of our protest today is to seek guarantees that no one will challenge our rights as unionists and that no one will be punished for working in unions," Litva, who heads the police union said.

Unions from other sectors, and also some 50 representatives of the European police confederation arrived to support the protest.

The Slovak police complain mainly about the latest changes under the amended law on social securities. According to Litva, the law reduces social securities for police officers but leaves securities of military members untouched.

The police also dislike their pay being far lower than that of soldiers.

Policemen are barred from accepting second jobs, and higher education is required from them than from soldiers.

The police demonstration on Oct. 25, 2005 was the first protest action of armed forces in Slovakia since 1989.

Source: Xinhua