Former workers of the former "Košuta" factory will today block the main road Cetinje - Podgorica in Kruševo ždrijelo, while they will demand nine salaries for 693 former workers in front of the Government building, where they are planning a protest on Friday.
That's what the lawyer for the bankruptcy of "Košuta" told "Vijesta" Petar Martinovic, explaining that traffic near Cetinje will be suspended for six hours, that is, from 11 a.m. to 17 p.m.
The former employees of the Fashion Footwear Industry (IMO) "Košuta", which is in bankruptcy, have been blocking this route every Monday for a month and a half, and recently they also told the Minister of Economic Development Nik Đeljošaj submitted their requests. They demand the payment of nine unpaid salaries for 693 workers, in the amount of 2.806.650 euros, and the linking of the seniority of 81 of them.
"No one contacted us or took any steps, so we scheduled a protest in front of the government on Friday, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.," said Martinović and announced that the next traffic blockades will probably last 12 hours each.
That factory was opened in Cetinje in 1961, but on March 4, 1996, bankruptcy proceedings were opened in it, which ended on June 14, 2001, but without payment of all claims to the workers.
The bankrupts told "Vijesta" earlier that, in case of inactivity of the authorities, they will start with several blockades a week, and eventually with a strike in tents, in front of the Government building.
In addition, "Vijesta" was previously from the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MRSS), which is headed by him Naida Nišić, said that they are responsible for these workers and that there will be some reaction to their problems. They stated that after possible examination of requests and cooperation with other departments, they would take a position, start discussions and reach conclusions.
"As this body has on several occasions paid back claims to former employees, it is indisputable that the response, in accordance with the legal procedures and according to the available possibilities, will not be absent in this case either," the Ministry of Labor pointed out.
At the end of the 80s of the last century, Cetinje was a highly developed industrial city, and the three largest employers at the time - "Obod", "Košuta" and "Tara" had more than 7.000 employees together. At the level of Montenegro, around 1.600 workers were once employed in "Košuta".
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