The chamber, which is one of several partners representing employers in talks among social partners, said that it would suspend its participation in the negotiations until the government takes a more balanced approach in dealing with the crisis.

As a precondition for rejoining the talks on a new four-year umbrella document settling relations between the partners, it demands that the government withdraw all proposals that would impose additional burdens on business as part of the 2015 budget.

The chamber argues that the new burdens would only additionally skew the balance of crisis measures against business, after the government abandoned plans for more radical cuts in the public sector in reaching a pay deal with trade unions on Monday.

"This is a form of pressure, a strike, if you will," GZS head Samo Hribar Milič told a session of the GZS board, which endorsed the proposal.

Members of the board were loud in criticising the government's willingness to concede to the trade unions on around EUR 100m in savings while refusing to negotiate around EUR 100m in new burdens on business.

They said this attitude "threatens numerous jobs in the private sector and drives away investors".

While the number of staff in the public sector has risen by 3,400 during the crisis, business has shed 90,000 jobs and is losing more due to unfair burdens, they highlighted.

As the talks continued today, several officials, including Labour Minister Anja Kopač Mrak, regretted GZS's decision. Kopač Mrak said she was happy that other social partners remained at the negotiating table, as this was the only way to reach a broad consensus on all pressing issues.

The head of the ZSSS trade union confederation, Dušan Semolič, told the STA that it was a shame that the GZS left the talks, because a social pact backed by all parties would carry more weight.

Today's talks focussed on the labour market. While the unionists called for more security, employers demanded flexibility, Semolič said.

A new round of talks is scheduled for Monday.

The social accord negotiations started last Friday, after Slovenia has not had a social deal since 2009.

Negotiations have been launched several times in the past years but never resulted in an agreement. The last attempt was made for a 2014-2015 social agreement, but the initiative fell through in the spring.