USSCG: Competent authorities to focus on solving the situation in the Tosčelik Ironworks

The Union of Free Trade Unions (USSCG) called on the decision-makers to direct all resources into resolving the current situation in Nikšić's Željezara Tosčelik, which includes a review of the sales contract.

"We expect that the announced negotiations on the sale of the Toscelik Steel Plant, between the current owner, the Turkish company Tosyali, and Nexan, with the mediation of the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, will go in the direction of preserving and improving production, and improving the socio-economic position of employees," they said. are from USSCG.

They added that the USSCG gives full support to the workers of the Tosčelik Steel Plant to persevere in the fight to enable them the right to work and to continue production activities in that company.

"The struggle to preserve jobs is also a struggle to preserve the last production facility in the industry of Montenegro, which has been dying out for years," stated the USSCG.

They said that the last industrial giant should not be allowed to suffer the fate of its predecessors.

The USSCG assessed that the privatization process in Montenegro did not even come close to achieving the announced expectations, that is, that privatization will bring new investments, technologies and jobs.

"Essentially, no privatization in Montenegro has produced such a result. On the contrary, the privatizations were mostly carried out with failed strategic partners, while the purchase and sale contracts did not contain social programs for employees - technological surpluses or they were very bad", the USSCG stated.

They added that such actions still take their toll, and the situation at the Toscelik Ironworks in Nikšić proves that.

"Our 229 colleagues, long-term workers of the Toscelik Ironworks, are faced with the employer's unilateral decision to stop production and declare them technologically redundant, turning them into social cases and leaving them and their family members without basic subsistence income," said the USSCG.