ZAGREB, August 31, 2018 – The government said on Thursday that, at the closed part of its session, it had provided state guarantees to the Croatian Postal Bank (HPB) for changing insurance instruments for HPB’s loans to the Uljanik shipyard from 2015 and 2016, which will make it possible to pay wages in the Uljanik Group.
The shipbuilding group will therefore have the funds to pay out wages to workers but not to the group’s management on Friday, it was said.
According to some media, for the payment to be executed, Uljanik will withdraw its deposits on the loans (20% of the loans), while the state would expand its 80% guarantees for the loans to the entire loan.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said at the start of the government session that a model had been found to pay Uljanik workers their wages for July and August, adding that the solution was good, equitable, and that the government had done its utmost within the legal possibilities.
“It is important that in the weeks ahead we all consider also the future of the restructuring plan proposed by the management and think together how to continue with sustainable shipbuilding, which means very much for Istria County, for the Town of Pula, for Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and Rijeka and, of course, for the shipyards operating in Split and Trogir, and we will hold this discussion at the government’s session in Pula on September 13,” Plenković said.
