Employees of the financially-troubled Croatian shipbuilder Uljanik have returned to work following a strike.
On November 20, 2018, the strike committee decided to halt the continuous strike and resume work.
As informed by the Uljanik Group, the strike will be stopped by the end of November when the committee will again discuss the matter.
Over 1,500 workers of the 3. Maj and Uljanik shipyards, part of the Uljanik Group, launched the strike in October. They expressed their dissatisfaction with the worsening financial situation at the group, lack of new shipbuilding orders and unpaid wages.
Last week, workers of both shipyards received minimum wages.
This was followed by a meeting held on November 15 between Uljanik’s supervisory board, representatives of the Croatian government, the strike committee and workers. With the aim of starting a regular business, the supervisory board said it hopes to adopt a new restructuring plan. The plan would help the cash-strapped shipbuilder complete the construction of the existing vessels it has on order and secure new orders.
Uljanik was the main topic discussed yesterday between Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenkovic and Vadim Novinsky, owner of Smart Holding, one of the largest production and investment groups in Ukraine. During the meeting in Zagreb, Novinsky unveiled that Smart Holding is interested in investing in the Uljanik group. Novinsky requested more details on the current status of Uljanik and it was agreed that the country’s Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, in cooperation with the group’s management, would provide the information.
World Maritime News Staff