Duel in Kutina: Guards of Petrokemija are waiting for Cacic

The first vice president of the Government Radimir Cacic even doesn't try to hide his opinion on workers, especially those associated in trade unions. When journalist asks him for a meeting with unions, Cacic only twitches his eye. Why do you ask me such thing, what do I have to talk with unions, my associate deals with unions.... Case closed!

He had outperformed himself in this undisguised disdain when he stated for Globus weekly magazine that situation was ''horrible'' for workers of Dioki who hadn't received their salaries for months, but either way, they hadn't done anything for months. It is like Dioki workers are responsible for the fact that their boss was outrageous Robert Jezic. It is like they have appointed Jezic for the position of Dioki owner, like they were dealing company business and caused eventual power blackout, lack of  supplies, lack of directors and no one has left - except workers, as they didn't have any superior to terminate their contract. As the case of Dalmacijavino employees, Cacic reduced the whole situation to the matter ''they want salaries and they don't want to work''. He didn't mention the fact that production downfall was caused by interest group of politicians and entrepreneurs, who were preoccupied with money extortion and a perspective of industrial real-estates.

Cacic ignorance towards workers as a factor of economy, backfired when he least expected. While he was in Moscow performing important duty of the vice-president, trying to revive economic relations with Russia (relations that ended up neglected thank to the former Government), this venture brings only one negative dimension. None of Cacic's achievements in Moscow didn't bring such a blast as an announcement of privatization of Petrokemija from Kutina.

Trade unions from Kutina immediately informed the state president, the prime minister and the Parliamentary spokesman. The union leader and the head of Supervisory board of Petrokemija Zeljko Klaus animate the public, introducing question of the privatization's purpose, now when the company runs its business with positive numbers. So, while Cacic confirms the interest of Russian investors by phone from Moscow, Milanovic is trying to escape the story in advance claiming that ''the Government didn't bring any official decision yet.''

We believe things are the way they are, as we believe the privatization is unofficially in preparation, although the trade unions and the Petrokemija administration claim that no one has spoken to them regarding the matter. Milanovic's Government has a common communication problem with trade unions. Social democrats behave like such communication is below their level, and the liberal Cacic is always one step ahead, although he would blow a bit of animosity he spreads nowadays with a smallest change in attitude.  It is a shame that he will have to learn the lesson on organization of Petrokemija, the most persistent and the toughest company above all.

If he is going to insist on the privatization without strong arguments and dialogs with employees, Cacic will fall on a structure (compound of two trade unions and one powerful war veterans group) which had been trained since Tudjman's period.  The Department for protection of the company was founded in that period, and it has already managed to prevent fertilizer production to get stuck in coupon privatization. They were so powerful and skillful in self-organizing, that they stage a protest with 10 000 protestors in small town of Kutina in the middle of August, on the day scheduled for the big concert of Rolling Stones in Zagreb.... The Petrokemija workers prevented Tudjman's privatization and the possible downfall of the company.

The truth is that a large amount of gas consumption is spent on Kutina's Petrokemija. But that company sells 70 percent of their production in European and American market, it hires domestic railway transport and harbor freight.  With 2300 employees, Petrokemija is one of the last grandstanding factories and while having a proper profit from the last year, Cacic's statement ''they want salaries and they don't want to work'' will hardly pass through.