Shipbuilder `3. Maj´ Workers Hold Peaceful Protest

A protest was held today in the shipbuilding company `3. Maj´, which lasted for one hour, at which the workers showed their discontent with the announced model of privatization of the shipbuilder.

The protest was organized by the branch of the SMH (Union of Metal Workers of Croatia), in the BI (Shipbuilding Industry) “3. Maj”, in which, according to a rough estimate, around 1,000 shipbuilders participated.

At the start of the gathering, the letter that the vice-president of the Croatian Cabinet and Minister of the Economy, Employment and Entrepreneurship, Damir Polancec, sent to the unions was read, in which they were called upon to stop their preparations for a strike.

Amongst other things, the letter explains that the future competitions on privatization could not go with the discriminating condition of keeping the industry, and that they need to give the possibility that in the offerings there be a change in the work of the shipbuilders, if they want to keep the workers.

Negotiations on conditions of privatization

A commissioner from the SMH (Union of Metal Workers of Croatia) in the BI (Shipbuilding Industry) “3. Maj” Juraj Soljic, talking about negotiations for the conditions of privatization with the Cabinet and the Cabinet’s negotiations with the European Commission, said that they should take into account that “3. Maj” makes more than 200 million euros of income a year, and directly as well as indirectly employs a few thousand people.

The regional SMH commissioner Branko Kuzet repeated the demands of the unions, of which the most important is the keeping of the industry after privatization, and the demand that the state keep a controlling package of 25 percent plus one share of the shipbuilder, which could be taken over by the workers later.

Kuzet called the workers of “3. Maj” to join in the protest of shipbuilders that will be held in the afternoon at the square of the 128^th Brigade of the Croatian Army in the centre of Rijeka, and is being organized by the HUS’s unions in the shipbuilders Kraljevica, Uljanik and 3. Maj.

Letter of support from other shipbuilders

HUS’s unions called all citizens and shipbuilding workers to that protest, as well as minister Damir Polancec, as a negotiator on the conditions of privatization for the shipbuilders with the European Union.

The regional commissioner of the SSSH (Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia) Jadranka Tomasic stressed that Rijeka’s shipbuilders have never had a empty book of orders, and conveyed the message of the SSSH to the workers of “3. Maj”.

“Only with you can Rijeka grow and develop, only with you are the workers secure in the other industries in our area” said Tomasic.

The demands of the shipbuilder “3. Maj”, who received a number of letters of support from other shipbuilders, were supported by the representatives of the association of veterans from the Croatian War of Independence, the representative of metal workers in other industries, as well as HUS’s commissioner for the union for the shipbuilder “3. Maj” Eduard Jalzabetic.