ZAGREB, Sept 13 (Hina) - The Croatian Justice Ministry holds that security guards of the "Tigar Cikatic" security company should not have entered Komercijalna Bank premises Saturday, Assistant Justice Minister Ivan Turudic said Monday
at a meeting of representatives of the Justice Ministry, unions, the Zagreb Commercial Court and the trustee in bankruptcy. Recent developments in connection with Komercijalna Banka culminated in Tigar Cikatic security guards' arrival in the bank's offices at about 06.00 am Saturday. Upon their arrival, the guards changed the lock at the entrance and closed the entry through the courtyard not letting workers come into a bank and join other employees that have been holding a sit-in in the offices for a month. The guards have been hired by the bank's trustee in bankruptcy, Pero Hrkac, whom the bank's employees have not allowed to enter the bank's offices in fe
ZAGREB, Sept 13 (Hina) - The Croatian Justice Ministry holds that
security guards of the "Tigar Cikatic" security company should not
have entered Komercijalna Bank premises Saturday, Assistant
Justice Minister Ivan Turudic said Monday at a meeting of
representatives of the Justice Ministry, unions, the Zagreb
Commercial Court and the trustee in bankruptcy.
Recent developments in connection with Komercijalna Banka
culminated in Tigar Cikatic security guards' arrival in the bank's
offices at about 06.00 am Saturday. Upon their arrival, the guards
changed the lock at the entrance and closed the entry through the
courtyard not letting workers come into a bank and join other
employees that have been holding a sit-in in the offices for a
month.
The guards have been hired by the bank's trustee in bankruptcy, Pero
Hrkac, whom the bank's employees have not allowed to enter the
bank's offices in fear of his attempt to remove certain documents
which can allegedly discredit the former management of
Komercijalna and some politicians of the ruling party blaming them
for malfeasance in the bank's operations.
The meeting was scheduled with the aim of defusing tensions after
Saturday's conflict between the security guards and the bank's
employees on Saturday.
No agreement has been reached, except for a principle consent that
Hrkac should have involved regular police to protect the creditors'
property, through a court order.
President of the Commercial Court, Vesna Buljan, said she had not
been aware of the arrival of the security guards. She described the
circumstances surrounding the Komercijalna Bank as extraordinary
and announced the creditors' council might take place Monday to
discuss the situation.
Attorney for the bank's employees, Branimir Tuskan, said they had
slept and spent days in the bank's premises to protect the property
of creditors. Hrkac's act in calling on the security guards was
irrational, he said, because he had paid them about DM80.000,
damaging the creditors for the same amount.
Zagreb's commissioner for the Croatian Alliance of Independent
Unions (SSSH), Mario Ivekovic, said the union was still requesting
Hrkac's replacement.
Pero Hrkac said that since his arrival at the Komercijalna Bank, he
had talked with the union and employees, trying to secure their
legal right to register at the Employment Bureau where they would
receive unemployment benefits.
"I tried to reach an agreement with the union, but not according to
its principle that 'everybody or nobody' stays employed, but only
those necessary for carrying out the bankruptcy proceedings,"
Hrkac said.
It is legally possible to dismiss the trustee in bankruptcy who
should on Tuesday stand before the municipal court in Nova
Gradiska, charged with white-collar crime.
(hina) lml