Former employees of the bankrupt clothing factory are a symbol of the economic hardship of Croatian workers.
Former employees of Kamensko have become a symbol of contemporary Croatian workers. Kamensko was not part of a large business group, but just one small company whose workers had to take care of themselves, without the government’s help, reports RTL on June 11, 2017.
At the very beginning, the Kamensko workers even launched a hunger strike in order to draw media attention to their problems. “Even after seven years, it still hurts like on the first day,” says Đurđa Grozaj, President of the Kamensko Association, founded by the workers after the factory went bankrupt.
Seven years have passed, but their problem has not been solved. They are still waiting for seven unpaid monthly wages. “Croatia is not a state of laws. People work, but they do not receive salaries – I think it is as if they were slaves. Even slaves used to receive food and accommodation; they did not have to pay for that. Today, you are expected to pay your bills, even though you do not get any money”, says Štefica Relić, a member of the Kamensko Association.
The Kamensko factory used to employ about 1,600 workers, mostly women, and produce clothing items. More than 90 percent of its production was exported to Western European markets. Due to business problems, suspect privatisation attempts, and layoffs, the company went bankrupt, so its workers founded an association in 2011.
Now the association is turning into a company with ten employees. “We can do more because we have a lot of orders. We work from early in the mornings until late in the evenings,” says Biserka Habud, one of the workers.
“We are happy that we have a job. At the end of each day, I always think about being one day closer to retirement. We were forced to do this. When you are left with nothing, then you have to find something to do,” adds Štefica Relić.
The numbers in Croatia are worrying, with almost 4,000 workers not receiving salaries although they work. There are 937 employers not regularly paying salaries, which is a criminal offense. However, until now, no one has ended up in prison for that crime.
“We should all come to an agreement, gather at one location and go in front of the Parliament and the government so that they can see how many people have been left without their salaries,” says Biserka Habud from the Association.
The story of the Kamensko workers has been featured prominently in the Croatian media throughout the past six years. They have received aid from citizens and promises from politicians. There is even a theater play devoted to them, titled “Workers in Starvation”, which premiered on Friday at a Zagreb theater. The performance reminded the audience that Kamensko workers are not the only ones, but that there just might be at least some hope.
