ZAGREB NEXT WEDNESDAY ZAGREB, Aug 27 (Hina) - The Zagreb commissioner of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia, Mario Ivekovic, on Friday told reporters some 1,000 workers will stage a warning protest in front of the
Commercial Court building next Wednesday. Ivekovic made the announcement after employees of Komercijalna bank were told at a meeting at the Commercial Court that a board of creditors had turned down their request for the extension of work contracts for 88 employees and the replacement of bankruptcy commissioner Pero Hrkac. Komercijalna bank employees have not left the bank's offices in downtown Zagreb since August 8, when their work contracts expired. In the meantime, they made a draft of positions for further implementation of bankruptcy proceedings, according to which work contracts would be given to 76 employees and 12 on maternity leave. The board of creditors, chaired by a re
ZAGREB, Aug 27 (Hina) - The Zagreb commissioner of the Federation of
Independent Trade Unions of Croatia, Mario Ivekovic, on Friday told
reporters some 1,000 workers will stage a warning protest in front
of the Commercial Court building next Wednesday.
Ivekovic made the announcement after employees of Komercijalna
bank were told at a meeting at the Commercial Court that a board of
creditors had turned down their request for the extension of work
contracts for 88 employees and the replacement of bankruptcy
commissioner Pero Hrkac.
Komercijalna bank employees have not left the bank's offices in
downtown Zagreb since August 8, when their work contracts expired.
In the meantime, they made a draft of positions for further
implementation of bankruptcy proceedings, according to which work
contracts would be given to 76 employees and 12 on maternity leave.
The board of creditors, chaired by a representative of the Croatian
National Bank, turned the offer down accepting instead a list of 35
employees compiled by bankruptcy commissioner Hrkac.
Komercijalna bank employees also demanded that Hrkac be replaced
after it became known that several suits had been filed against him
on suspicion that he was implicated in white collar crime. The board
of creditors however believes that "press articles and the
existence of an indictment do not represent a reason for Hrkac's
dismissal."
Commercial Court president Vesna Buljan said on Thursday after
talks with an employees' delegation that she believes Hrkac should
not be the commissioner in such a serious bankruptcy given that he
does not enjoy the trust of employees with whom he should be
cooperating.
She added the issue would be discussed at a board of creditors
meeting next Tuesday.
Ivekovic said today that Komercijalna bank employees would stay in
the bank's building, and that they would receive the support of
employees in other Zagreb companies which filed for bankruptcy.
Speaking about the warning protest rally of next Wednesday,
Ivekovic said, "We must point out that bankruptcies cannot disguise
crime."
He reasserted that many high profile figures and officials were
implicated in taking money out of Komercijalna bank.
The bank's employees today showed the press documents from which it
transpires that in 1993, managing director Josip Soic on two
occasions deposited five million of then current dinars of
financial assistance on the account of the Croatian Victimology
Society, then presided by current Minister of Justice Zvonimir
Separovic.
The employees also claim Separovic had two current accounts open in
the bank, which is prohibited by law.
(hina) ha