Interrupted hunger strike in Solana

The workers of the Ulcinj Saltworks ended their hunger strike today after a meeting with the General Secretary of the Union of Free Trade Unions (USSCG), Srđo Keković and the president of the New Democratic Force - Force, Nazif Cungu.

The Trade Union Organization of Solana announced that the Strike Committee, after consultation with the workers, and at the request of Keković and Cungu, decided to end the hunger strike.

"This decision was made after concrete steps taken by Mr. Keković and Mr. Cungu," said the president of the Solana Trade Union Organization, Marko Miranović.

He explained that Keković arranged a meeting with the bankruptcy judge in the presence of the bankruptcy administrator, management and the Solana Trade Union as the only bidder in the lease tender.

TV News, Suzana Ganić

"This will put an end to negotiations regarding the lease and business-technical cooperation", stated Miranović.

Cungu, as he added, supported the workers' proposal, which was addressed to the President of the Ulcinj Municipal Assembly, Fuad Hadžibeti, to hold an extraordinary session of the City Assembly as soon as possible with one item on the agenda - overcoming the current situation in the "Bajo Sekulić" Saltworks.

Solana workers, 46 of them, have been on hunger strike since Thursday in the former workers' restaurant as a sign of protest that, they claim, the management is undermining the lease negotiations.

Since the negotiations between the union and the management on the lease of the factory began about 20 days ago, several pumping plants and a valuable cable of a self-propelled conveyor were damaged by as yet unknown perpetrators in Solana.

The union accuses the administration of being behind these sabotages. The workers have formed a commission that assesses the amount of damage caused by the sabotage that is being investigated by the police. Miranović recently filed criminal charges against the bankruptcy trustee, Ognjen Jovović, and the general manager, Zdravko Potpara, on suspicion of abusing their official position by not respecting the law and not protecting property.

The workers have been protesting since January 21, and the union was the only one to submit an offer for the tender for the lease of the factory, which includes organizing the harvest. In the lease negotiations, the price for four thousand tons of unprocessed salt, which is stored in the hangar, is disputed.

The union offers 15 euros per ton, while the management is asking for twice as much. Since the beginning of February, Solana has had no electricity due to a debt of 21 euros.