Former employees of "Impregnacije" from Kolasin, which after bankruptcy was bought by the company "Vektra Montenegro" in 2007 Dragan Brković, announced that they will soon block the highway, in order, they explain, to "once again warn the state that the injustice done to them has not yet been corrected."
They remind that the social program to which the new owner committed was never implemented, which, among other things, included the payment of severance pay for 34 employees, who lost their jobs after the bankruptcy.
"Several times we submitted and offered evidence of the dubious privatization of 'Impregnacija' to the competent state bodies and institutions. Many times at gatherings, through the media and in direct conversations with decision-makers, we have explained the position we have been in for almost two decades. An unprecedented injustice has been done to us, and it seems that no one cares to at least show the intention of wanting to correct it. Because of all this, we announce that we will very soon start blocking the highway and use that way to once again draw attention to the wanton disenfranchisement", representatives of the former workers of "Impregnacije" told "Vijesta".
After buying that company, Brković founded Vektra nord, which has also been in bankruptcy for years. He owes the workers of the new company as much as 60 wages and taxes and contributions for eight years.
According to official data, "Impregnation" was sold to Brković for around 2,83 million euros. In the annex to the contract between the bankruptcy debtor and "Vektra Montenegro" from August 2008, it is written that the purchase price was reduced by 1,07 million euros, in accordance with the Government's conclusion of December 28, 2007.
The workers previously announced that after the introduction of bankruptcy, the then Minister of Agriculture Milutin Simovic insisted to the bankruptcy trustee that the first advertisement for the sale of "Impregnacija" be reduced by almost one million euros, in order to, allegedly, enable a high-quality social program.
Member of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) Bogdan Božović at the end of June, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management asked whether the "Government of Montenegro plans to undertake concrete activities in the coming period in order to compensate the former employees of 'Impregnacija'".
He reminds that the company was declared bankrupt due to a debt of 2.500 euros to the company from Valjevo.
"The sales contract provided for retraining within three years or for severance payments to be paid to the workers, however, not only did they not receive money from the severance payments, but the funds they allocated for the housing fund were also irretrievably lost. Many of them have not solved the housing issue, and therefore I believe that the competent institutions are obliged to update this case and to do everything in their power to help the workers", wrote the SNP official.
From the department he heads Vladimir Jokovic Božović was informed that the Ministry is not competent to resolve "obligations from the employment relationship of employees who worked in companies that were in bankruptcy". They also reminded that due to non-fulfilled contractual obligations, the bankruptcy trustee terminated the sales contract with "Vektra Montenegro".
"The property that was the subject of the sales contract was sold to a new buyer. The new company that bought the property of the former 'Impregnacije' had no social program obligation. The commercial company 'Vektra Nord' was founded on March 27, 2008 and operated on the purchased property of 'Vektra Montenegro' until the opening of bankruptcy proceedings in 'Vektra Nord'. "Vektra Montenegro" gave them space to use. 'Vektra Nord' independently recruited, among others, some of the former employees of 'Wood impregnation' AD Kolašin. Employees' claims were the subject of bankruptcy proceedings against the debtor "Vektra Nord", where the employees of this company had the opportunity to report claims against this debtor. Since 'Vektra Nord' did not have its own assets, the collection of claims from the bankruptcy estate was not possible", the Ministry explains.
The opening of "Impregnation" in the 60s marked the end of the investment moratorium in the area of the Kolasin municipality.
It was a factory for the production and chemical protection of railway sleepers, switchgear and TT poles for electrical distribution, the only factory of this technology in Montenegro, and the fifth in the former Yugoslavia, with a capacity of 12.000 cubic meters of wood assortment and with 140-160 employees. In terms of the quality of its products, income and the number of employees, it was a significant subject of the Kolasin economy.
Since a few years ago, former workers have been marking the anniversary of privatization by gathering in front of the company's gates. It will be the same this year, in mid-February, and they announce that they will use a performance to remind them of the injustice done to them.
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