ZAGREB, 11 March 2022 (2022) - The Croatian Metal Workers (SMH-IS) on Friday called on the government to urgently help the Đuro Đaković Termoenergetska Postrojenja (TEP) company so that it can operate normally, while its business is currently affected by the fact its owner is a Russian added to the sanctions list.
The president of the Independent Trade Unions Federation, Mladen Novosel underscored that the unions are aware of the situation in Croatia as a consequence of the conflicts in Ukraine.
The war has resulted in many problems for Croatian companies with the increased price of energy.
The Đuro Đaković TEP is one of those companies faced with problems, with Novosel saying the company is in an absurd situation.
"It has a market to operate on, the EU market. It has concluded contracts. We respect the sanctions against Russia but we appeal to the government to urgently intervene. We know it is aware of the problems and is trying to do something," underscored Novosel.
We appeal for this to not remain simply on goodwill but for the government to urgently decide to exclude Đuro Đaković TEP from the sanctions and to make it possible for the company to do business as usual and thus save more than 1,000 jobs in Slavonski Brod, he added.
SMH-IS union leader Siniša Kosić underscored that they are not seeking financial assistance from the government but to be allowed to work.
"The company's business operates in the EU with EU funds and resources, and the only thing is that it is owned by a Russian and cannot get to those resources without the management board. That is an absurd situation. The government is aware of this but is too slow to react. The company has money, workers and jobs but workers could easily end up on the dole," warned Kosić.
He underscored that if the company's accounts do not cease to be frozen and the company is not taken off the sanctions list, that could be the end of it and that must not happen.
"There has to be a model. We do not operate on the Russian market. We expect the government to act faster. If it managed to resolve the issue with Sberbank in two days then it can at least resolve this problem in two weeks," added Kosić.
Deputy union leader Antun Štivić underscored that Đuro Đaković has the highest revenue in the county and employs 872 workers and additionally about 200 sub-contractors.
The company's director Ivica Marić said that he was in constant contact with the government and Ministry of Finance and that they are "actively working on trying to find a solution."
"I expect a solution sometime during the day to unfreeze our money and to unblock the company's work," said Marić.
He added that it might be possible to separate the company's operation from the owner.
"The company operates according to Croatian laws and operates exclusively in the EU and for the EU. All the suppliers are from Europe and there is not business contact or transactions with Russia, Belarus or Ukraine," underscored Marić, adding that sanctions would be strictly adhered to.
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