Maksimilian Percan, CEO of the 3. Maj shipyard based in the northern port city of Rijeka, addressed the shipyard workers on Friday, on the third day of their ongoing strike over delayed salaries for July. Although booed, he announced he would join the workers on Monday, when striking workers plan to stage protest in Zagreb.
Percan told workers that members of the management board are still in Zagreb, where they had met on Thursday with Gianni Rosanda, CEO of the Uljanik Group which owns 3. Maj, and Danko Koncar, a Croatian entrepreneur and owner of another shipyard whose company has been chosen as the group’s strategic partner earlier this year.
Percan thanked the workers for their patience, but was booed.
“Last night until very late in the night they (management members) worked in Zagreb. They haven’t come back, and they will not come back without a deal,” Percan told workers and was booed again.
He said that unless some deal is reached to save the indebted company, the striking workers would go to Zagreb to protest in front of the government building.
“You must know that I was always with you, and I will be with you until the last day. That is my job, and my moral commitment. We are waiting for a reply from Zagreb, and if we don’t get it – we’ll all go to Zagreb on Monday – the buses have already been organised,” Percan said.
“We have been in contact with people from the (Uljanik) Group in Zagreb the whole time. I believe they haven’t given up, and that their reply will be positive, so we can continue building ships which sail the world’s seas. Thank you all for your patience. I can say that, because I have worked at Uljanik for more than 15 years, and I am qualified to say how each shipyard works. Thank you all, I’m proud to be your CEO,” Percan said, with his last sentence greeted by intense booing.
He added that he would fight for every single job at the company, and told workers that in spite of the 2013 restructuring plan envisioned reducing the work force to 1,100, the company still employs 1,700 people.
One of the striking workers climbed on stage and asked Percan to repeat the promises that had been made to workers.
“The restructuring plan would guarantee liquidity for 3. Maj, and after that we’d split off (from the Uljanik Group). We have two potential investors, buyers, whatever you want to call them. They said that they would be interested in acquiring this shipyard after the restructuring plan for Uljanik is completed,” Percan said.
Percan added that he would join workers on Monday in their protest in Zagreb at St. Mark’s Square, in front of the government building.
The strike at the shipyards of 3. Maj in Rijeka and Uljanik in Pula continued on Friday, with workers demanding that their salaries for July – due to be paid by August 15 – are paid out immediately. The strike committee said that workers at 3. Maj are finding it increasingly difficult to live without their earnings.
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