EMPLOYEES OF SLATINA TOBACCO FACTORY ANNOUNCE PROTEST FOR FRIDAY

SLATINA, July 22 (Hina) - A committee in charge of preventing the closure of tobacco factory "Duhan" from Slatina (western Slavonia) on Thursday announced a protest rally for Friday, including the setting up of road blocks on the Podravina road. The committee is dissatisfied with the results of yesterday's talks between representatives of the company, the Government, the Croatian Privatisation Fund, and the Rovinj Tobacco Factory (TDR). The company had requested financial rehabilitation, to which end the Government adopted a decision at the end of last year, and started negotiations on linking with "British American Tobacco" (BAT), which has already purchased the Zadar Tobacco Factory. In the meantime, Zagrebacka Banka sold "Duhan"'s debt of DM11 million to the Virovitica-based company 'Virzinija', making TDR the actual owner of 'Duhan'. Since the TDR had announced the centralisation of tobacco processing in Virovitica, 'Duhan' employees started talks with the multinational tobacco factory BAT, fearing their factory might be closed down and they laid off. The committee opposing the closure of 'Duhan', a company which has some 300 workers and 800 contract farmers, called on citizens to join the protesters at tomorrow's protest rally in Slatina. (hina) rml