'ZAGREPCANKA' MEAT INDUSTRY WORKERS BLOCK TRAFFIC

ZAGREB, Nov 22 (Hina) - About one hundred workers of Zagreb's meat industry 'Zagrepcanka' on Wednesday blocked traffic at the intersection of two of Zagreb's main roads - Heinzel and Planinska Streets. The workers, who have been staging rallies and blocking traffic for ten days, demand the payment of their September and October salaries and severance pays for workers who will be laid off. At the beginning of today's rally, the commissioner of the Croatian Association of Workers' Unions (HUS) for Zagreb, Mario Ivekovic, warned the protesters that the bankruptcy commissioner would most probably lay off all of 390 'Zagrepcanka' workers. After that, partial revival of the production and the opening of some of the company's shops is possible so that part of the workers would be able to get their jobs back. Even with this possibility, half of them will end up at the Employment Bureau without severance pays, Ivekovic said. The protesters announced a symbolic protest rally for tomorrow, adding they would join Friday's protest rally of dissatisfied workers from Zagreb companies in the Cvjetni Square in downtown Zagreb. (hina) rml