Encouraging statements from Brodosplit’s boss.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 25th of June, 2018, five privatisation years of Brodosplit has seen the completion of the process the final assessment of the European Commission is now to follow.
The waiting game continues at the formerly emburdened shipyard, without any particular feeling and as a pure formality as they continue to listen to concerning words about Brodosplit and a large number of workers being in question. Faced with public criticism and continual suggestion that the famous shipyard is facing collapse, its owner and managing director Tomislav Debeljak has always rebutted such words with contentions of satisfaction with the way things are progressing, as well as big plans and announcements.
Faced with criticism that such statements are filled with empty promises, Debeljak responded that he would be working exclusively for profitable projects. And now, when the Uljanik and May 3 shipyards are faced with ever-anticipated bankruptcy, Debeljak’s optimism gains some momentum and weight with some new, promising deals. The future of Brodosplit seems brighter, Slobodna Dalmacija writes.
”Currently, we have the lowest labour force, but as wages in shipyards have come to a level similar to that of the rest of Europe, in 2018, the goal is to raise the salaries of the best workers by maybe 20 percent, and thus open up such a market for which people will start to return to Croatia more significantly. This would also open new sources of labour from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria.
The goal will be high income, but also the best quality and valuable people to achieve a plan to double the total capacity and turnover over the next five years. In Brodosplit itself, there are currently 2,250 workers.
The productive and non-productive ratio is 75:25 if we count the forklift drivers and other transport equipment, temporary energy installers, cleaners, and similar manufacturing workers. And if we count on the old system then the ratio is around 55:45, and it should be improved in any case in favour of the production workers. I’ve not been happy about it from the very beginning and the way to fix this is to hire more than 1000 manufacturing workers, and that administrative non-productive workers remain at the same number.
I expect that this can be achieved with our current contracts and plans,” Debeljak stated.
