Bujišić and Ljiljanić: Stop playing political games behind the backs of Vodovod employees

The president of the trade union organization DOO "Vodovod" Pljevlja and a member of the Board of Directors representing the workers, Jovan Bujišić, and a member of the Board of Directors, Predrag Ljiljanić, reacted to the article titled "Political games or 'democratic process': Announced staffing caused a storm in Pljevlja's Vodovod", published on the Vijesti portal on June 26.

They called on those responsible to stop, as they say, political games played on the backs of workers.

We are reporting their reaction in full.

"As you stated in your text that Goran Marić initiated the initiative to dismiss two members of the Board of Directors and that this caused strong opposition from some of the employees in our collective and misunderstanding among the coalition partners of New Serbian Democracy, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the texts opposing Marić's arbitrariness were signed by Jovan Bujiša and Predrag Ljiljanić only and exclusively with the consent not of a part but of the majority of the employees. We in our collective do not deal with politics, but exclusively with our work and therefore we do not want anyone to try to score political points over our backs, and to divide us in any way.

It is a notorious lie that one of the Board members is being dismissed by mutual agreement, because no member of the Board of Directors filed a request for dismissal, but found out about it through the media and sent full support to everyone on the Board of Directors and stated that he would not resign. Marić also mentions some kind of waste of money. And what about Goran, what about the waste of money that you, as a full-time employee (a geographer) in EPCG, spend on monthly entertainment expenses in the amount of 300 euros in Pljevlja cafes drinking brandy with your friends during working hours? Is that a waste of money for all the citizens of Pljevlja. If you think you will succeed in your intention, feel free to try, now we are already challenging you publicly and openly, so let's see how you will justify yourself to the citizens when we ourselves stop because of your cheap politicking!

Let's also look at the statement by Mr. Nikola Rovčanin in which he says that "tension and political dust have risen". So who raised those tensions and political dust for who knows how many times? The workers or you, Mr. Rovčanin? We know that our company went to the Democrats under the coalition agreement. We also know that the director of our company, who promised a lot at meetings with the workers and delivered nothing, was also a Democrat. Did that director see bankruptcy as the only way out of an "impossible" situation?! Did that director cause our collective to stop all work because he did not want to sign for the payment of earned salaries even though he had the money for it? And in the end, did that director, as well as all the members of the Board of Directors, resign from their jobs in front of the founders when they saw that they did not have the capacity to cope with the challenge, leaving us at their mercy! After that, you searched for a solution and the next director within your ranks, but you didn't find one, because none of your comrades in DCG wanted to become the captain of a sinking ship and take the helm in their own hands. You say that you gave "a chance to professionalize management and that you made that step forward", and you yourself know that this is not true because no one, absolutely no one from the ranks of DCG wanted to be either a director or on the Board of Directors, because the company was on the verge of bankruptcy!! Then the only solution was found to be the current director Mladen Jaćimović, who accepted the position of director of the company under only two conditions, and that he would come to the position of director only and exclusively as a non-partisan person, and that he would not hire anyone, because the company was certainly overstaffed. And you accepted that at the time because you had no other solution. Mladen Jaćimović, who took on this responsibility, through his work and dedication, with the help of the current management he works with, brought the company in a year and a half to a positive operating result after almost 30 years of negative business, that workers are satisfied with their income and that after more than a decade, workers are paid gross salaries with contributions. And of course, now that the company has got back on its feet, you have remembered to elect a new Managing Director, and remove Mladen Jaćimović and bring in a new one from the ranks of DCG. So you would then hire a couple of deputy directors, a couple of managers, economists, secretaries, lawyers, managers and bosses and bring Vodovod back to the brink of existence where it was. If the above statements are not true, why is there such a desire to remove him and bring in a new Managing Director?

Mr. (Radomir) Andesilić, you say that you are removing your member of the Board of Directors because he voted to increase the CEO's salary at a time when the company owes around 3.000.000 euros and that this contradicts your beliefs. Does the complaint by Marić that his salary and representation in the Board of Directors are low and that he is asking for them to be increased contradict your beliefs? Is it against your beliefs and commitment that, in such a situation, a company with so much debt, insisting on hiring university graduates to fill the positions that were vacated by the workers who filled them moving to companies like RUPV and EPCG!? Is it against your beliefs to propose replacing the current managers by bringing "university graduates" to their positions?

You say that you discussed at the Board a proposal for a decision to dismiss two members of the Board of Directors, signed by the Mayor of the Municipality, Dario Vraneš, but you do not mention that you lied to the Mayor about how the members of the Board of Directors representing DCG and PES resigned and thus received a signature on that same proposal!? You said that you are dismissing your member of the Board because he unfoundedly signed the salary increase for the executive director and that this is not in line with your beliefs, but we do not remember that you or anyone else rebelled when you unanimously voted in the Assembly with your fellow councilors to increase your councilor fees. Now, Andesilić, that is wasteful spending and embezzlement with the money of all the citizens of Pljevlja, who, realistically speaking, do not earn money but take it because you can. Can you tell us, Mr. Andesilić, how many sessions of the Municipal Assembly are held during the year? When was Andesilić's last municipal assembly and did you waive your fees in the months in which there was no assembly, so as not to waste citizens' money? Did you know that the person you are attacking, the archi (Mladen Jaćimović), gave the new vehicle he received from the Municipality to the workers for use? We have been silent so far and have not interfered with your earnings and your children's bread, nor have we had any intention of doing so, but since you believe that only your children can eat chocolate in addition to bread, and you want to introduce a "water fast" for our children for the sake of your cheap political points, remember that you will not be able to do that!

Salaries at Vodovod Pljevlja, with all possible awards, cannot even be compared to the salaries and benefits that the gentlemen who are the main actors in these unfortunate events (Marić, Rovčanin, Andesilić) receive from various committees and the Assembly of Montenegro and the Assembly of the Municipality of Pljevlja.

For the last time, we ask you to stop playing political games behind our backs, because rest assured that we will all stand by each other and defend our dignity, jobs and our income with which we feed our families, and we will not allow you to shake the unity in our collective! Leave your politics outside our doors, no matter what your currents are! Once again, we warn you not to question our determination, because we will go decisively to the end.