TOVARNIK, Feb 3 (Hina) - Several hundred workers of the Borovo footwear factory, who blocked roads leading from Vukovar and Vinkovci to the border town of Tovarnik in easternmost Croatia at 9 a.m. on Monday, lifted the blockade at
02.30 pm and withdrew from the roads.
TOVARNIK, Feb 3 (Hina) - Several hundred workers of the Borovo
footwear factory, who blocked roads leading from Vukovar and
Vinkovci to the border town of Tovarnik in easternmost Croatia at 9
a.m. on Monday, lifted the blockade at 02.30 pm and withdrew from
the roads. #L#
The blockade was discontinued after a meeting of the protest
rally's organisers, representatives of a crisis committee for the
protection of the laid-off workers' rights, the Community of
Returnees of Croatia, Vukovar-Sirmium County Prefect Nikola Safer
and the county's police superintendent, Marijan Tomurad.
Addressing the protesters who gathered in front of the town hall
after they lifted the blockade, the returnees' association leader,
Josip Kompanovic said that deadline of seven days had been set up
for the Croatian Privatisation Fund (HFP), which is the owner of
"Borovo", and the company's management to find resources for the
payment of severance pays for 2,320 workers of "Borovo", who have
been redundant in the company since 1991. At the beginning of this
year, their employment contracts should have been terminated.
"Upon receiving assurances that in one week's time adequate
decisions will be made, we have decided to discontinue today's
protest," Kompanovic said.
Although it had been announced they would also block the Zagreb-
Belgrade railroad passing through the Tovarnik border crossing,
the protesters had a change of heart after police set guard along
the route. As soon as protesters withdrew from the sites of protest
rallies, the police also retreated.
The crisis committee and the returnees' association demand that the
severance pay in the amount of 3,000 kuna (400 euros) per year of
service should be paid to each of Borovo's 2,230 unassigned
workers.
(hina) ms sb