PETROKEMIJA EMPLOYEES TRY TO OBSTRUCT HIGHWAY

KUTINA, Jan 17 (Hina) - Police on Thursday prevented employees of the Petrokemija artificial fertiliser factory from obstructing the Zagreb-Lipovac highway at the call from the factory's workers' committee which has been established to prevent the closing down of the factory, after which the workers continued to protest peacefully in front of the police block. Workers who left Petrokemija's premises after noon in a marching demonstration towards the highway were intercepted by police in all-terrain vehicles near an overhead bridge, a kilometre from the highway. The employees are currently holding a peaceful protest in front of the police block, and the Centre's security service is maintaining order. Among the protesters requesting urgent normalisation of gas supply and the continuation of work in Petrokemija are members of the Kutina City Council and leadership, representatives of Sisak- Moslavina County, and all political parties active in the area. The committee on Thursday forwarded a statement commenting on today's session of the government whose members, the Centre believes, "again tried to place the blame onto somebody else, this time to Petrokemija's management and supervisory board. The workers' committee stressed it would not give up its fight to work, and all government's attempts to stir up dissention among the workers, the management and the supervisory board are doomed to fail. (hina) lml sb