They told the government not to "play with fire": "Budvanska Riviera" workers said they would not allow the demolition of "Slovenska plaža"

The government should not play with fire, because the workers of the "Budvanska Riviera" Hotel Group will not allow the demolition of the "Slovenska plaža" Tourist Resort, is the message from today's protest, which was organized in the park of the tourist resort by the Trade Union Organization of the largest hotel company majority-owned by the state of Montenegro.

A message was also sent opposing the restructuring of the company, namely the separation of "Slovenska plaza" and the "Aleksandar" hotel, which was proposed by the largest minority shareholder - MK Group, and a request was sent to appoint expert and professional staff instead of the party management.

Professor at the Faculty of Business and Tourism Rade Ratković He recalled that four decades ago, together with the then director Branko Bajković, he set the vision, concept and program of an innovative and futuristic tourist resort - "Slovenska plaža", for which the project of the trophy-winning Slovenian architect Janez Kobe was chosen.

"Tourism is now being sabotaged and hindered by the construction of real estate, especially disastrous secondary apartments that have led Montenegrin tourism to a process of silent death, and workers and citizens to miserable salaries and the inability to resolve the housing issue. We would understand that there are plans to remove some residential skyscrapers in order to build hotels, but we cannot understand the state, or rather, party-political intention to demolish hotels and resorts in order to build residential mastodons for the market. Such a disastrous intention, for Ripley, is incredible that it is happening, but there is a consensus that it will happen anyway," said Ratković and said:

"We will not let the Slovenian beach be demolished, but rather introduce professional management. We will not let Budva tourism go. Replace party management with professional management, put a company with state ownership under professional management, not the management of party activists. These are vital measures to save Montenegrin tourism, its renewal and development as a branch of the greatest national interest," Ratković emphasized.

Long-time director of "Slovenska plaža" Vlado Dapcevic He said that Budva is preparing for a new devastating "earthquake", after the catastrophic one in 1979, if the demolition of the "Slovenska plaža" tourist attraction is allowed.

"We have gathered to stop the madness, to stop the crime that wants to destroy this natural and architectural beauty that is Slovenska plaža. The earthquake in 1979 destroyed the old 'Slovenska plaža', namely the hotels 'Internacional', 'Slavia', 'Adriatik' and 'Plaža'. Thanks to the help of the entire social community of the former Yugoslavia, a magnificent building like 'Slovenska plaža' was built in that area. Slovenska plaža is a highly profitable enterprise, it cannot be compared to other accommodation capacities. It is a money-making machine. It is a city that offers everything to modern tourists. In the past 10-15 years, at least 50 million euros have been invested in 'Slovenska plaža', so why did we throw that money away to destroy this. This is this second 'earthquake'. After the catastrophic earthquake, we built this beauty, but this dirty capital, mindless, has no eyes, because it only sees its own interests. They want to build skyscrapers, so that you don't have a single square meter "Greenery. We will not give this away," said Dapčević.

President of the Trade Union Organization HG "Budvanska rivijera" Milorad Dajković He emphasized that 330 employees, almost 90 percent of the total number, said "no" to this model of restructuring the hotel company with their signatures.

"This model envisages that 'Slovenska plaža' and 'Aleksandar' will be transferred to a new company, which does not make economic sense, because it is precisely from these hotels that the largest income of HG 'Budvanska rivijera' is generated. If this resource is separated and transferred to the rest of the other company, which would be majority-owned by the state of Montenegro, it would be doomed to failure. To make things even more absurd, 1.200 rooms are demolished and two new hotels of 200 and 250 rooms are built. This is not development, this is the shutdown and erasure of a brand that has been built for more than 40 years. Slovenska plaža is a life that generations of workers have built - our parents, our colleagues, our friends. 'Budvanska rivijera' is not just a company, it is a family, it is a symbol of Budva," Dajković pointed out.

According to him, the trade union organization has addressed the Privatization Council and the Prime Minister, but so far they have not received a response.

"As long as decisions are made about us without us, we will be against it. That is why we are saying it loud and clear: the Budva Riviera belongs to the people who created it, to us workers. We will not allow our fate to be decided without us," Dajković stressed.

Worker of the "Budvanska rivijera" company Ilija Bucin He told the government, which, as he said, is working "badly behind the backs of the workers," that "their plan to demolish 'Slovenska plaža' and 'Aleksandar' will not succeed."

"Slovenska plaža, let me remind you, got its name because the first organized tourists who came to Budva were Czechs and Slovaks, the Slavic peoples. Now the gentlemen from Podgorica, who are hatching some evil plans, expect us to stand by and watch them destroy our city and the 'Budvanska rivijera' HG as part of this city. Well, we will not let them do that, let them be sure. Gentlemen from MK Group, maybe someone promised you something, but we will not let you run a tavern easily for the sake of your ancestors and for the sake of the generations that created the 'Budvanska rivijera' HG and for the sake of our children and descendants. Where will we work, where will our children work, to clean the apartments that they will build and make a profit? They will not be able to. The Government of Montenegro, if it accepts the initiative, will have us against it and there will be even more of us. I say to the citizens of Budva who are sitting in their apartments and are afraid to come out: who are you afraid of, of yourselves? We can no longer hide, we have to defend the 'Slovenska "The beach, it is synonymous with Budva," said Bućin and called on the management of the "Budvanska rivijera" holiday complex to stop being silent and take a stand.

He also called on the President of the Municipality of Budva, Nikola Jovanović, to refrain from anything in the future, given that he publicly supports the demolition of "Slovenska plaza", because he is the president of all citizens.

"We ask him to at least be impartial in the future, because he is the president of all citizens. He should not take sides, but rather be the true president of the Municipality of Budva," concluded Bućin.