ZAGREB, Jan 29 (Hina) - Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister Slavko Linic on Monday announced he would initiate investigative procedure against the director of the "Petrokemija" company, for his intention to sow unrest and uncertainty
among employees with the country's largest plant for manufacturing artificial fertilisers. At a news conference in Zagreb, Slavko Linic described the Petrokemija management chairman's conduct, Josip Jagust, as unacceptable. According to the government's official, Jagust has in recent days forwarded a letter to a few addresses, in which he pinned the blame on the national oil company, INA, for discontinuing delivering gas to this factory in Kutina (east of Zagreb) as well as for a shortage of artificial fertilisers. In addition to this, Jagust has asked the Government to solve all the problems of Petrokemija. Linic told reporters that such a letter with "incorrect conten
ZAGREB, Jan 29 (Hina) - Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister Slavko
Linic on Monday announced he would initiate investigative
procedure against the director of the "Petrokemija" company, for
his intention to sow unrest and uncertainty among employees with
the country's largest plant for manufacturing artificial
fertilisers.
At a news conference in Zagreb, Slavko Linic described the
Petrokemija management chairman's conduct, Josip Jagust, as
unacceptable.
According to the government's official, Jagust has in recent days
forwarded a letter to a few addresses, in which he pinned the blame
on the national oil company, INA, for discontinuing delivering gas
to this factory in Kutina (east of Zagreb) as well as for a shortage
of artificial fertilisers.
In addition to this, Jagust has asked the Government to solve all
the problems of Petrokemija.
Linic told reporters that such a letter with "incorrect contents"
disturbed the public.
Deputy PM pinned accused the Kutina plant's management of failing
to do its job, i.e.. run the company.
"Those who are trying to transfer (responsibility for) the business
policy from Petrokemija to the Government, I tell them we are not
going to deal with anything like that. We care only for the
inherited financial problems of Petrokemija, and not only for its
but also for the problems of many other companies," Linic said.
He added that the privatisation an rehabilitation of the Kutina-
based Petrokemija was the subject matter which competent
ministries had been discussing for six months.
The government tackles the issues relating to the financial
consolidation and in the mid-February the Ivica Racan Cabinet will
consider issues of the debts not only of Petrokemija but also of
other firms where the Government holds a majority's portion.
Economy and Agriculture Minister, Goranko Fizulic and Bozidar
Pankretic, have asserted that Petrokemija can ensure the necessary
amount of fertilisers for this spring's sowing (it is 244,000
tonnes).
Economy Minister Fizulic has said nobody brings Petrokemija's
future into question and the company has for the first time been
given a chance to define its prices on its own. Therefore, the
Government has revoked tariffs on the imported artificial
fertilisers.
As regards the transporting features of the gas, the plant in Kutina
will not be able to work this winter and next two winters. Under
agreement, from 1 November to 31 March provisions supplied from INA
to Petrokemija should be adjusted to INA's possibilities in winter
conditions which lessen the capacity of the gas pipeline.
Linic and INA Director Tomislav Dragicevic have several times
reiterated that discontinuation of the gas supplies has been caused
by winter conditions.
However, this does not affect the profitability of the Kutina
plant, Fizulic explained adding the national needs are between
650,000 and 700,000 tonnes of fertilisers, while Petrokemija's
capacity is the output of 1.3 million tonnes per annum.
(hina) sb ms