KASTELA, April 17 (Hina) - Workers with the ironworks in Split on Thursday held a meeting under the auspices of the Croatian Association of Unions (HUS) at which they called on Premier Ivica Racan to speak to their representatives
when he visits Split next Tuesday and try to help them.
KASTELA, April 17 (Hina) - Workers with the ironworks in Split on
Thursday held a meeting under the auspices of the Croatian
Association of Unions (HUS) at which they called on Premier Ivica
Racan to speak to their representatives when he visits Split next
Tuesday and try to help them. #L#
For two and a half months the ironworks has not produced anything
because its electricity supply has been cut off due to a debt of 7.5
million kuna (one million euros).
HUS vie-president Ozren Matijasevic stated it would mean a great
deal to all 416 employees if the premier were to meet with their
delegates and clearly said if he could help them or not, i.e. if he
said what the fate of the factory was going to be.
"We are giving the government until Thursday to determine the
future of the ironworks or it will be responsible for the
consequences," Matijasevic said, adding that employees might
organise huge protests. He stressed the government should think
hard about this message.
The president of the Independent Union, Zvonko Segvic, objected to
the factory board's begging the government for a 50 million kuna
(EUR6.7 mln) guarantee which, he said, would not be sufficient to
restart production. The factory needs at least 160 million kuna
(EUR21.3 mln), he said.
Matijasevic said bankruptcy was also a possibility, but that
everything depended on the government's final stance.
The vice president of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), MP
Josko Kontic, told the government today to stop stalling with a
solution for the Split ironworks, which he said was vital to the
construction of the Zagreb-Split Highway.
The Split ironworks is the largest Croatian producer of reinforced
concrete iron, Kontic said, adding the possibility of the factory
going bankrupt could only benefit Italian manufacturers and local
retail lobby groups.
Kontic thought it was absurd that the government approved an EUR40
million guarantee to a private company, the "Viktor Lenac" shipyard
in Rijeka, while on the other hand it could not come to a decision to
offer a minimum of 50 million kuna for the Split ironworks.
(EUR1 = 7.5 kuna)
(hina) sp ha