Following the Commercial Metals Company's (CMC) decision to exit the Zeljezara Sisak steel mill, it was agreed at a meeting at the Croatian economy ministry that a task force should be established to monitor the U.S company's exit and facilitate efforts to find a new strategic partner for the steel mill.
Economy Ministry State Secretary Rudjer Friganovic told reporters that the task force would include representatives of the ministry, unionists and representatives of the AUDIO agency which succeeded the former Croatian Privatisation Fund.
The task force will analyse the privatisation contract and monitor the departure of the CMC from the steel mill, and will insist on a speedy transfer of the plant to the new owner, with full respect for Croatian laws, including the collective agreement and the Labour Act, Friganovic said.
There are no outstanding obligations of the CMC towards the state and workers, however, the mill is expected to pay back subsidies in the amount of 20-30 million kuna to the Croatian Competition Agency due to the failure to accomplish the goal of restructuring and ensure profitability, Friganovic said.
Trade unionist Predrag Abramovic said that workers in the mill had orders for work for one and a half months and that they were not certain about salary payment after that period.
He expressed hope that Economy Minister Djuro Popijac would help in efforts to find a new partner in the next one and a half months.
