ZAGREB, 23 May 2022 - Over 500 disgruntled workers of the Pružne građevine Ltd., which specializes in the construction and maintenance of railway and electrical infrastructure along railway routes in Croatia, protested outside Government House on Monday to warn about the serious situation in this company with 1,400 employees.

This is the only Croatian company specializing in the construction and maintenance of railways.

The protesting workers warned that the absence of large-scale investments in rail maintenance has plunged this company into trouble and it is faced with prospective official receivership and a loss of jobs.

According to an estimate provided by the World Bank, it is necessary to invest a billion kuna annually in the maintenance of Croatia's railway network while currently, the annual allocation for this purpose is HRK 200 million, the protesters said.

They voiced their disagreement with the transfer of Pružne građevine Ltd from HŽ Infrastruktura (Croatian Railways Infrastructure) ownership to the Centre for Restructuring and Sales (CERP).

After the protest rally, Transport Ministry State Secretary Alen Gospočić explained that the decision on the transfer is aimed at making it possible for the Pružne građevine to apply for EU-funded tenders.

Gospočić said that the investment cycle in the next 10 years was put at €3.5 billion.

He recalled the deals on projects worth HRK 600 million in the next three years that involve the company.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

For more, check out our politics section.