99 percent of Dalekovod production workers on strike since this morning

Dalekovod production workers have been on strike since this morning following unsuccessful negotiations with the newly appointed CEO Gordan Kolak regarding a new collective agreement and failed mediation between the negotiating committees of the union and the employer, as well as the fulfillment of all legal conditions for its implementation. The strike will continue until the union’s demands are met, stated Ivica Bajlović, president of the Dalekovod production union, on Tuesday.

In his address to the media and the gathered striking workers in front of the Dalekovod facility in Velika Gorica, he emphasized that the management has shown no understanding for their demands to survive and live off their salaries, as he claims the management wants to reduce their wages and devalue their work, which is unacceptable for them.

>>>Management of Dalekovod: Union demands unrealistic and unsustainable in the long term

– The strike was not our goal, but a last resort. We have been negotiating since November 1 of last year and have already gone through negotiations, mediation procedures, workers’ assemblies, and an extraordinary supervisory board, but the management has not listened to any of it, he said.

The management that reduces already low workers’ rights is catastrophic for us, and we cannot allow the company to collapse, Bajlović asserted, expressing doubt that the company wants to devalue itself in order to be sold off at a bargain price.

Workers’ rights

He warned that workers’ rights are being diminished, workers are losing bonuses for working the second shift, for seniority, and for overtime, as well as the right to severance pay.

– All of this is intended to be reduced, and it is being done due to interest groups, he assessed.

He added that the healthiest fabric of Croatian society is being destroyed and that those who lead the company should step down, not the workers. He asked Croatian institutions whether they care about workers and the sustainability of production in Croatia and whether it has a future, and whether we will stay or, as he said, will we all have to leave.

>>>VIDEO: Union at Dalekovod production announced a strike

He explained that the business of Dalekovod production is on the brink of collapse after it separated from Dalekovod d.d. a few years ago and now pays rent, transportation services, IT support, and accounting, so according to consolidated reports, Dalekovod production is in the red, while Dalekovod d.d. and all others are in the black.

– We will be even more in the red when workers leave Dalekovod production, and they do so every day, Bajlović warned.

He added that the turnout of workers in the strike is almost 99 percent and thanked the representatives of other unions – the New Union, from Pliva, INAŠ, and others for their support.

Contracts with Scandinavian partners at risk

– They also see that our struggle is justified, and we must persist and succeed in it; otherwise, there is no survival for us. The company Dalekovod production employs about 580 workers, and the strike will have a very negative impact on it, as we have contracts with Scandinavian partners, Bajlović asserted, noting that the Dugo Selo facility of the company has also joined the strike.

Dalekovod production worker Stipan Ćurić (56) said that his average salary for last year was 5400 kuna and that this is not much for such a job, and that he is considering leaving the company, which will most likely happen since he has an offer for work abroad.

>>>Dalekovod: Restructuring does not mean wage cuts, it is about changing the tariff model

– They want to abolish the bonus for years of service, which is significant for workers who have between 30 and 40 years of service and amounts to up to 1000 kuna, so our salaries would drop to 4000 kuna, which is below any level for such a job. They tried to soften this a bit by raising points, but we do not have a collective agreement that stipulates bonuses, severance pay, Christmas bonuses, and others. We do not want to sign new collective agreements that reduce rights, Ćurić said.

Workers stood inside the factory circle holding banners that read “Stop cutting wages!”, “Stop humiliating workers!”, “We do not want management that does not value work!”, “No work without a collective agreement!”, “We want to work and live off our work!”.

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The Secretary-General of the New Union, Tomislav Kiš, emphasized that workers are legitimately fighting for a new collective agreement that they want, and they want to force the employer to comply by withholding their labor. Workers’ demands are realistic and are no greater than what such a company should and must have, Kiš emphasized.

Restructuring underway

The management of Dalekovod production announced on Tuesday that the union’s demands during the negotiation and mediation process were unrealistic and unsustainable for the company in the long term and that only the full implementation of the restructuring plan guarantees the company’s self-sustainability.

>>>‘More active’ Dalekovod generated 1.18 billion kuna

The management states in the announcement that the restructuring of this metal processing company is underway, which, as an independent company with 580 employees, accounts for 19 percent of the total sales revenue of the Dalekovod group. The management claims that the restructuring is being carried out with the aim of optimizing production processes and ensuring a more competitive position in the global market, where Dalekovod as a group has been achieving very good results for a long time.