Workers of Tuzla company Livnice yesterday showed their will to fight on by gathering in a protest in front of Canton court building, while workers of Aida, Dita and Konjuh warned that, unless clear solutions for their problems aren’t presented by Monday, new protests are to be expected.

Tuzla Canton court will issue a verdict today related to the case of a former director and part owner of “Livnica” Drago Jurić who wants company land as compensation for his alleged unpaid salaries, while the workers are left on their own.

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Livnica was one a source of income for more than 300 workers

“We will pressure the court. Tomorrow is the next session, and Jurić should get 37 acres of land with all of the buildings, for his alleged unpaid 120.000 BAM (71.000$). That property is worth around six million BAM (3.500.000$), so it’s obvious that crime is at work here”, said vice president of Workers Solidarity Union of Tuzla Canton Enes Tanović.

To make the matters worse, Jurić was sentenced to one year in prison in 2011 for economic crime he perpetrated in Livnica. If he would get 37 acres he asks, he would  own half of the land of, what was once, a steel manufacturing giant.

Jurić became owner of Livnica during the privatization, a process all former communist countries took in order to transfer state companies to private hands, but after the illegal activities wore discovered, government once again became owner, however, company has never been revitalized.

At the same time, the workers of company haven’t received a salary for years.

In July last year and investigation was about other criminal activities in “Livnica”, but no information concerning the progress of investigation have been   released.

“Prosecutor’s office should do their work and charge people responsible, and government should start the process of reviving production in the company. Nothing will be accomplished if the investigation goes on for three or four years”, said Tanović.

” We don’t know what will happen on 7th of February!”

Workers of other bankrupted Tuzla companies told the press that, unless their demands are met by Monday, they will again go on the street to fight for their rights.

Three months after the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina most governments, including Tuzla Canton, haven’t been formed and there is no one to, at least, sincerely try to solve these problems.

“We got information that they won’t form the government by 7th of February (anniversary of massive protests in BiH), and that puts us and our families in even worse position”, said Dževad Mehmedović, President of Workers Union of Dita.

There is an expectation in Bosnia as to what will happen on the anniversary of large scale protests, and some are expecting them to start again.

“We don’t know what will happen, everyone saw what took place last year, and this year it could be even bigger. Hunger is forcing us to go on the streets”, said Mehmedović.

Tuzla workers got one time social aid last month, but that only got them through 20 or so days, and the real solution will only be reviving their companies so they could support their families by their own hands.