Unions meet with Prime Minister Tim Orešković, Economy Minister one of the main topics of conversation
Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković met with trade union representatives on February 5, 2016, and they asked him to staff ministries and managements of state-owned companies as soon as possible since at the moment there is a paralysis in decision-making, Večernji list reports. However, the most interesting request to the Prime Minister was made by Ozren Matijašević, the head of the Croatian Association of Trade Unions, who demanded that Economy Minister Tomislav Panenić urgently and publicly explains whether or not he was fired due to theft from a company where he used to work.
“At a meeting with the Prime Minister I have opened the issue of the Economy Minister, since he is the man with whom we should cooperate the most since most of my union members come from his sector. Given the information published in the media, that at one of his former jobs he was fired for stealing, I expect specific and substantiated denial. As a person, I would like to believe that the rumours are not true, but if they are true then the minister does not have the required moral credibility”, said Matijašević.
Economy Minister Tomislav Panenić immediately responded to accusations that he got fired from Baumax for stealing Styrofoam.
“I strongly reject accusations that I was fired for allegedly stealing from Baumax. I would never endanger my responsible position as deputy head of Baumax, particularly not in order to steal Styrofoam worth several hundred kuna. Also, it is not true that I was fired. It was a mutual termination of my employment contract, but I cannot discuss the details of termination of my employment due to Article 15 of the Contract with the company, which obliges me to keep secret all business data, documentation and other information”, said Panenić for Index.hr.
He points out that there are many important tasks for him in the Economy Ministry which are “of much greater interest to the public than malicious untruths which we had the opportunity to read in the media”.
