Workers of Koksara Lukavac, currently in bankruptcy, have left their workplaces, and the coke furnaces are currently without supervision, the union announced, warning that a wider area is facing an environmental catastrophe if the competent institutions do not urgently become involved in resolving the problem.
In its statement, the union said that it is no longer able to persuade workers to return to their jobs and that a workers’ boycott is in effect. As they emphasize, the situation is extremely serious because leaving coke furnaces without control can have unforeseeable consequences for the safety of people and the environment.
This development followed months-long problems in the functioning and survival of the Coke Plant, which is in bankruptcy proceedings. Additional instability was caused by a letter from the lessee H&P d.o.o., which sent the management of the Coke Plant in bankruptcy a notice on the suspension of the delivery of raw materials and the cessation of activities related to leasing and managing the production process, effective from December 22nd 2025. The reasons cited were rising costs, financial burdens, and regulatory risks.
This was followed by a reaction from the Independent Union of Chemical and Non-Metal Workers in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), which stated that workers would not shut down the furnaces, noting that this could have serious consequences for their safety. The union warned that the Coke Plant has for years been brought into a state of decline, that the bankruptcy has already left around 200 workers without jobs, and that responsibility for the current situation is being shifted onto the workers.
According to the union, around 560 remaining workers had for months maintained a minimum level of production in order to prevent the complete shutdown of the Coke Plant, and the abandonment of workplaces, as they emphasize, is the result of prolonged pressure, uncertainty, and the absence of concrete solutions from the competent institutions.
The union once again appealed to the competent authorities to react urgently, stressing that responsibility for the safety of the facilities and any possible consequences lies with the institutions and entities that have the legal authority to act, Federalna writes.
