ZAGREB, August 26, 2018 – The striking committee in the Uljanik Group on Sunday held a meeting to discuss whether to allow one of its clients to hire substitute workers to continue work on a vessel the client has commissioned from the Uljanik shipyard, but no decision on the matter was made, with two unions which are active in Uljanik and whose representatives are members of the striking committee having different positions.
Workers of the Uljanik Group, which consists of seven companies, including Pula’s Uljanik and Rijeka’s 3. Maj shipyards, have been on a strike since Wednesday because they have not received their wages for July.
The owner of a cruise ship that is being built by Uljanik has asked that the striking committee allow replacement workers to take over the job of building the vessel from the striking workers.
Striking committee member Boris Cerovac told reporters that subcontractors would not be allowed to take over the job. “We first want to hear what Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has to offer. We are waiting for that meeting and will state our position to the employer and ship owner on Tuesday,” said Cerovac, a member of the Adriatic Union.
The chair of the striking committee, Đino Šverko of the Metal Workers Union, said that the client whose cruise ship was being built had given money for 3. Maj workers’ wages when the shipyard did not have it, and that allowing his subcontractors to continue the work was the least the striking workers could do for the client.
“We must reconsider our decision because there is a danger the vessel will be taken away by towboats and a new ship will not be commissioned from us as we will turn out to be unreliable,” said Sverko. He added that the value of the vessel under construction exceeded 125 million euro and that there were plans to build one more such ship.
If the client leaves with this ship, the second one won’t be built here either and that means bankruptcy for Uljanik, said Šverko.
The client’s demand has not met with approval among the striking workers who, as Croatian Television reports, fear for their wages and jobs. They criticise the management as well as the local authorities, who they consider responsible for the failure to find an appropriate strategic partner and accuse of collusion with some of Uljanik’s managers.
The striking workers will go to Zagreb on Monday to seek a meeting with the prime minister. N1 television has reported that Prime Minister Andrej Plenković will see them before travelling to Germany.
