TOVARNIK, Feb 3 (Hina) - Hundreds of workers with the Borovo footwear factory blocked roads leading from Vukovar and Vinkovci to the border town of Tovarnik in easternmost Croatia at 9 a.m. on Monday.
TOVARNIK, Feb 3 (Hina) - Hundreds of workers with the Borovo
footwear factory blocked roads leading from Vukovar and Vinkovci to
the border town of Tovarnik in easternmost Croatia at 9 a.m. on
Monday. #L#
They demand that the company's management and owner -- the Croatian
Privatisation Fund -- pay severance in the amount of 3,000 kuna (400
euros) per year of service to each of Borovo's 2,230 unassigned
workers, who have been unemployed since 1991 when the war in Croatia
began.
These workers were to be laid off earlier this year. The management
envisaged 45 million kuna (EUR6 million) for their severance pays
but the workers maintain this is an inappropriate amount. They
decided to put road blocks after being unable to reach an agreement
with the management over the past month.
Although it had been announced they would also block a Zagreb-
Belgrade railroad passing through the Tovarnik border crossing,
they had a change of heart after police set guard along the route
last night.
The road blocks have been organised by a headquarters for the
protection of the laid-off workers' rights and the Community of
Returnees of Croatia.
Protests will last until their demands are met, it has been
announced.
(EUR1 = 7.5 kuna)
(hina) ha