Correcting news item HNA0258
Workers of Split ironworks stage protest rally
SPLIT, April 1 (Hina) - Please note that the fourth paragraph of the news item headlined "Workers of Split ironworks stage protest rally" contains a mistake. The paragraph should read as follows:"The leader of the Croatian Metal Workers' Union, Vedran Dragicevic, said at the rally that in 2008 the company incurred a loss of HRK 100 million, while in 2007 it earned a profit of HRK 170 million."
Following is the corrected news item:
"Several hundred employees of the "Zeljezara" ironworks in the southern city of Split on Wednesday held a protest rally on the company's premises, demanding the payment of their salaries for February and of pension and health insurance contributions which they said had not been paid for several months.
The protesters requested the government and the Croatian Privatisation Fund (HFP) to re-examine the company's privatisation agreement with the Polish company "Zlomrex", Zeljezara's majority owner since 2007.
The protesters threatened to take to the streets if their salaries for February were not paid in the next five days.
The leader of the Croatian Metal Workers' Union, Vedran Dragicevic, said at the rally that in 2008 the company incurred a loss of HRK 100 million, while in 2007 it earned a profit of HRK 170 million.
Dragicevic said it was only logical to ask where the money was, why Zeljezara's 480 workers had not received their salaries for February, and why their pension and health insurance contributions had not been paid for months.
"The HFP should re-examine the privatisation agreement with Zlomrex and, if the company is found not to be meeting its contractual obligations, the agreement should be terminated and a new buyer for Zeljezara should be found," Dragicevic said.
In late February, Zeljezara stopped production because its gas supplier Proplin stopped delivering gas and blocked the company's bank account due to its debt.
The protesters today also called on Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and Deputy PM Damir Polancec to join in efforts to solve problems in Zeljezara and help restart production."