Referendums on budget legislation are "beyond the borders of normal." Such a blockade will would hamper the normal functioning of the state, Janša said late on Tuesday after a session of his party's executive council.

His statement comes after the SVIZ trade union of teachers and scientists said it would hold a general strike on 21 December unless parliament rejects the 2013 and 2014 budgets.

As an alternate option, SVIZ head Branimir Štrukelj said the union might stop the budget adoption procedure "and perhaps force the government to get back to negotiations" by filing 2,500 signatures that trigger referendum proceedings.

Janša is confident that a referendum will not take place, but he noted that the very launch of referendum proceedings would postpone the budgets.

He said the reduction of the public sector wage bill enshrined in the budgets was possible largely with retirement, requiring little adjustment of wages.

Furthermore, negotiations with sectoral trade unions on how to achieve the targets are open.

The prime minister expects that "a lot of things that are causing tensions" will have been resolved by then.

The 2013 and 2014 budgets will be debated in parliament on Wednesday.