ZAGREB, March 28, 2019 – President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović met with representatives from the Uljanik and 3. Maj shipyards on Wednesday at unions’ request, and they informed her of their demands from the government – an urgent solution to their agony, the approval and payment of a loan for interim financing, the adoption of a draft restructuring plan on healthy foundations, and a possible strategic partner that will secure the best bid.
The president expressed her complete understanding for the workers’ endeavours to have this unsustainable situation resolved and a decision on the fate of shipyards to be made as soon as possible, her office said in a press release.
She said the main criteria for the decision on whether to go into bankruptcy or to embark on restructuring should be based on the sustainability and competitiveness of shipbuilding as one of Croatia’s traditional and strategic export-oriented industries.
She underscored the importance of caring for the livelihoods of workers and their families. She believes that only a sustainable business model can preserve jobs and secure wages for workers.
She finds it is disheartening that, according to the workers’ representatives, even after 3.7 billion kuna of state funds was invested in Uljanik and 9 billion kuna in 3. Maj, the docks are in such a difficult state, which indicates that the way they were managed until now was a mistake.
President Grabar-Kitarović expects the money that has disappeared to be traced and repaid into the state budget and that all those responsible answer for it. She called on everyone involved in making a decision on the docks’ fate to once again consider all the arguments so that they can be sure they will make the right decision.
She expressed concern about the impact of the situation on the economy, the livelihoods of part of the population of Istria and the Kvarner area, on emigration, and on the drain of a workforce which is in short supply.
The president of the strike committee at the Uljanik dock, Boris Cerovac, told reporters they told the president that they want the Uljanik and 3. Maj docks to survive and that they received full support from her. He underscored that she promised that she would inform the government of everything and ask it to do what is best for shipbuilding and for workers.
I hope for a positive solution, he said. “We can’t wait any more.”
“Rijeka Commercial Court is expected to decide tomorrow whether we are going into bankruptcy or not, and the only way for that not to occur is for the government to adopt a decision that 3. Maj and Uljanik will undergo restructuring and on a loan needed for interim financing,” he said.
Another shop steward, Đino Šverko, believes that the president can help a lot because she is the only one, in addition to Economy Minister Darko Horvat, who has said that she supports restructuring and not bankruptcy and she reiterated that today, he underscored.
“She isn’t the one who can make that decision but as a moral authority, she can talk with the prime minister and request that he resolves this agony as soon as possible,” he added.
More news on Uljanik can be found in the Business section.
