Podravka will decide on production at the Lera plant in about 10 days

The Mayor of Rijeka, Vojko Obersnel, spoke today with members of the Management Board of Podravka from Koprivnica and after that conversation stated that Podravka will consider the possibility of retaining production or at least part of the production at the Lera non-alcoholic beverage filling plant in Rijeka in the next 10 days.

"We agreed that Podravka will consider how to retain production or at least part of the production in Rijeka in the next 10 days, but also to consider the possibility of opening a logistics center to accommodate certain surplus workers that will likely arise through the opening of other job positions," said Obersnel in a statement to reporters after the meeting. The meeting between the Mayor of Rijeka and the leaders of Podravka, including the CEO Miroslav Vitković, was announced last week, prompted by Podravka’s announcement of the closure of the Lera plant in Gornja Vežica and the relocation of that plant to Lipik.

About ten days ago, Obersnel also addressed the Management Board of Podravka in a letter in which, as reported by some media, he expressed dissatisfaction with the layoffs threatening Lera workers in Rijeka and warned that without respecting the rights of workers and the local community, the City of Rijeka would prevent the company from disposing of real estate and land in Gornja Vežica. When asked by reporters whether he discussed with the members of the Management Board of Podravka the possible repurposing of the land on which the plant is located and the employment of current workers outside Rijeka, Obersnel responded negatively.

I am only ready to discuss possible repurposing or future use of the land after the issue surrounding the continuation of production at the Lera plant is resolved, he said. When asked about his personal impression after the meeting, Obersnel said that perhaps there had been too much talk without arguments in the whole story so far.

"The management approached the problem responsibly and seriously considered the possibility of keeping part of the plant in Rijeka. Whether they thought that way before my letter, it is hard to say," he said. The union representative of PPDIV at Lera, Joso Ivanović, responded negatively to a phone inquiry about whether the members of the Management Board visited the Lera plant and spoke with representatives of the union and the Workers’ Council, as had been announced. He claims they were told over the phone that a decision on the fate of Lera would be made in about ten days and that after that, all 68 workers currently employed at the Rijeka plant would be informed. (H)