Dioki representative Srdjan Perkovic said after today's meeting with deputy economy minister Tamara Obradovic Mazal that in the next 24 hours the Economy Ministry and the the Zoran Milanovic cabinet would try to call a meeting with representatives of workers, the economy ministry, the finance ministry, Hypo Banka, Dioki Group management board and majority owner Robert Jezic in an attempt to find a solution for Dina and Dioki workers whose livelihood is threatened.

According to the workers, they claim about HRK 120,000 on average in unpaid wages per person.

Earlier today, the workers rallied in Zagreb's main square and then headed for St Mark's Square, the seat of the government, where they expected to be received by government ministers but only managed to talk to Finance Minister Slavko Linic over the phone, after which they continued their protest by blocking one of the busiest intersections in downtown Zagreb.

The disgruntled workers said the telephone conversation with Linic ended up with him hanging up on them. Dina workers' representative Predrag Mihaljevic told reporters that Minister Linic was very upset with the protesters and hung up on them because he believes that their accusations that Linic was responsible for the Dioki collapse were unfounded.

After that Mihaljevic said he received a call from Economy Minister Ivan Vrdoljak who invited Dioki representatives for talks in the economy ministry where they would be received by Vrdoljak's deputy Obradovic Mazal and her successor Alen Leveric, who is expected to step into office as deputy minister in early March. The protesters decided that their representatives would go for talks in the economy ministry and they would continue to bloc traffic at the Ilica-Frankopanska intersection.

The protesters demanded definition of the status of Dioki and Dina Petrokemija, resumption of production where possible, and purchase of land on the island of Krk for an LNG terminal so that unpaid wages and severance packages for 720 workers could be paid.

"We want our claims settled before bankruptcy proceedings," he told reporters, recalling that 300 workers had signed contracts under which their employment was terminated on January 1 while another 120 workers have continued working and the company owes them nine monthly salaries.

The protesting Dioki workers were joined by their colleagues from Dina Petrokemija, whose leader Mihaljevic said about 50 workers had not received their wages for eight months now.

Economy Minister Ivan Vrdoljak told Croatian Radio that for now the government did not have a solution for the Dina and Dioki problem. He said that "aggravating circumstances" were those that the main line of business of the two companies was facing a crisis on the global market as well, that they were private companies.

Last August the government issued a state guarantee to the Zagrebacka Banka for advance payment made by Turkish investor Caliskan which was expected to pay out later salaries to Dina and Dioki workers in the amount of EUR 5 million. The Turkish investor, however, left the company and did not launch production, leaving the workers in a difficult situation, Vrdoljak said, adding he hoped a new investor would show up and secure at least partial production.

Asked if a good solution was the Crodux company, owned by Ivan Cermak, Vrdoljak said that every solution promoting production and new jobs was a good solution, adding that talks with Cermak would resume.

Commenting on the fact that unions blame the government and not Caliskan for the failed deal with the Turkish investor, Vrdoljak said the lesson drawn from this case is that the government should not interfere.