After their demands were not met, demining technicians will continue their protests.
Around thirty employees of the Mungos demining company will hold daily protest in front of the Parliament building starting on Monday, announced on Friday president of the New Trade Union Mario Iveković, after strikers did not secure a meeting with Interior Minister Vlaho Orepić, reports Jutarnji List on July 8, 2016.
Minister Orepić was not in Croatia and representatives of demining technicians were received by Assistant Minister Lidija Pelivan. Deputy union representative at the Mungos company Braco Gunjača was disappointed with the meeting. “There is nothing specific which can be said. I am a little bit disappointed”, he said briefly to journalists outside the headquarters of the Interior Ministry in Zagreb.
Iveković said that they had presented their views and concerns, but “the other side was not sufficiently prepared”. “As always when situations like these happen, they either do not know what do to or cannot do what needs to be done. So, nothing has been agreed. We still demand to meet with the Minister in person, and we have announced that starting from Monday we would hold daily protests at St. Mark’s Square. We will continue to strike until our demands are fulfilled”, said Iveković.
The strikers will also demand a meeting with Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković, and Iveković called on all those who support them to join them. “This problem will not be solved without stronger public support”, he said.
The strike of 30-odd employees of the Mungos company began on Tuesday morning, after the process of collective bargaining was stopped and after union demands for higher wages were rejected. The strikers point out that there is enough money since the demining process is financed from both the state budget and EU funds, and this year about 500 million kuna have been appropriated for the demining efforts. “We have presented a series of arguments and everyone should be clear that there is no reason not to accept our requests”, said Iveković.
One of the strikers Edin Taletović told reporters that the state had enough money. “Institutions should determine where all the money is going. That is not our job. We should be focused on our obligations and work without pressure”, he concluded.
