'BELJE' WORKERS STAGE PROTEST MEETING

DARDA, Dec 23 (Hina) - Several thousand workers of 'Belje dd' agricultural and processing plant from the eastern Croatian region of Baranja on Thursday staged a meeting in front of the plant's management, protesting the non-payment of salaries for August and September. The workers had held their first protest meeting on December 20. The president of the 'Belje' Union of Workers in Agriculture, Food and Tobacco Industry and Croatian Water (PPDIV), Josip Pavic, said the Union expected the Government, the Croatian Privatisation Fund (which owns 'Belje') and the plant's supervisory and management boards to pay the salaries for August, September, and October and to cover workers' travel costs until December 28. The Union also demands a public apology by the management's head Drago Tadic for his slandering of workers and unionists in the media in the past several days as well as the annulment of a public invitation for bids for the purchase of 'Belje' shares, which was published on December 8, and the appointment of a management's negotiating team for drawing up a collective agreement. A member of the 'Belje' management, Drago Barisic, told the gathered workers the management supported their requests, adding however, once the Government implemented its decisions of September 23 regarding the company's reorganisation, the management pledged it would pay the salaries. Union representatives called on the Government to implement immediately its decisions on the rehabilitation of 'Belje', urging the Croatian Privatisation Fund to replace its representatives on the company's supervisory board. The union will postpone any union action until January 3 next year. If the Government, the Privatisation Fund and the company's supervisory and management boards fail to meet the requests by that time, protest meetings will be staged in front of the Government building and other institutions, union representatives said. (hina) rml