The striking committee at the Uljanik Group discussed on Sunday whether to allow one of Uljanik shipyard's clients to hire substitute workers to continue work on a vessel the client has commissioned from them, but no decision on the matter was made, with two unions which are active at Uljanik having differing positions on the issue.
Workers of the Uljanik Group, which consists of seven companies, including Pula’s Uljanik and Rijeka’s 3. Maj shipyards, have been on strike since Wednesday, after their wages for July have not been paid.
After the strike was launched, the owner of a cruise ship that is currently being built by Uljanik asked that the striking committee allow replacement workers to take over the job of finishing the ship. The delivery of the cruiser, initially set for September 2019, was delayed, and is now expected to be finished by December.
Striking committee member at Uljanik, Boris Cerovac, told reporters that subcontractors would not be allowed to take over the job.
“We first want to hear what Prime Minister (Andrej) Plenkovic has to offer. We are waiting for that meeting, and will state our position to the employer and the (ship) owner on Tuesday,” said Cerovac, a member of the Adriatic Union.
The chair of the striking committee, Djino Sverko of the Metal Workers Union, said that the client whose cruise ship was being built had already given money for 3. Maj workers’ wages when the shipyard couldn’t fund them, and that allowing his subcontractors to continue the work was the least the striking workers could do for the client.
“We must reconsider our decision, because there there is a real danger that (unless we change our mind) the vessel might be taken away by towboats, and a new ship will not be commissioned , as we will turn out to be unreliable,” said Sverko.
He added that the value of the vessel under construction exceeded €125 million and that there were plans to build one more such ship for the same client.
If the client leaves with this ship, the second one won’t be built here either, and that would mean bankruptcy for Uljanik, said Sverko.
The client’s demand has not been met with approval by the striking workers who, as state broadcaster HRT reported, fear for their wages and jobs. They criticise the company’s management, as well as local authorities, who they consider responsible for the failure to find an appropriate strategic partner, and accuse them of collusion with some of Uljanik’s top managers.
The striking workers announced they would go to Zagreb on Monday, where they will meet with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, before he leaves on a pre-scheduled official visit to Germany.
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