The main committee of the Nova Željezara Zenica Trade Union will organize daily protests in front of the Administration Building from June 1, due to the non-payment of severance pay to retired workers and holiday pay – announced at today’s press conference the president of the NŽZ Trade Union Rašid Fetić.
He pointed out that 80 workers have been retired, but that they still have not received severance pay, and that the employee’s compensation, which was agreed upon in collective agreements, has not been paid. If the Administration fulfills the demands, as stated, the protests can be cancelled. The second request is an urgent session of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the adoption of the law on the procedure for introducing an extraordinary administration.
“As you know, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has approved the proposal, but the session of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament has not yet been scheduled. Time is running, and June 25 is very close.
We ask that the sessions of both chambers be urgently scheduled and that the law be adopted and implemented, so that this agony, which has already lasted for a certain period, ends. With that alone, a new manager would be appointed, who would have the task of organizing things and starting intensive production,” said Fetić.
He emphasized that in the previous period, notorious lies were told from the Management, and the leadership of the Trade Union is under particular pressure.
Kenan Mujkanović, president of the Metalworkers’ Union of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, pointed out that they expect the sessions of both houses of the FBiH Parliament to be held as early as next week.
“This is a race against time, and time is running out. The law must be adopted, and after that it must be published in the Official Gazette and after that the FBiH Government must submit a proposal to open the procedure for the introduction of an extraordinary administration…
Before that, he must find who will be the extraordinary manager. The court should issue a decision on the opening of the extraordinary administration procedure… All these things must be implemented before June 25, because the law stipulates that on the day of the opening of the extraordinary administration procedure, the previous procedure, pre-bankruptcy, bankruptcy, liquidation procedure is interrupted,” noted Mujkanović.
Everything, he says, must be realized before June 25 in order to prevent a scenario that leads to the opening of bankruptcy and, as a matter of fact, the unemployment of all NŽZ workers, i.e. 1,890 of them.
“Our only goal is to preserve production and preserve jobs. Our visions no longer coincide with the visions of the new owner,” said Mujkanović.
He invited everyone who thinks they have a solution for this company and the preservation of integral steel production in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to come forward with their proposal. For now, he points out, the only solution was offered by the FBiH Government, and only time will tell if it is good or not. The union and the workers have no choice but to demand that the announced solution for this company, offered by the FBiH Government, be implemented.
The increase in the import of steel, he added, is a problem, but the import of steel from Croatia, which has only increased in percentage, but not in quantity, is not such a problem.
“Most of the steel is imported from Turkey, Italy and China, but we are still of the opinion that whoever manages and takes over the Zenica Ironworks, that the protection of domestic steel production should be introduced. All countries do that,” Mujkanović said, adding that they know which political party overturned the introduction of protective measures.
The request for pre-bankruptcy proceedings, it is pointed out, is the only reason that recourse has not been granted, so by withdrawing that request, there would be no pre-bankruptcy administrator and his consent for any payments, and no recourse, would be needed, Federalna writes.
