About a hundred of former workers of the KIO Keramika ceramic tile producer from the eastern town of Orahovica arrived in Zagreb on Thursday to protest outside the Economy and Labour Ministry, the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the SSSH trade union federation.
The ministry's state secretary Jozo Sarac received a delegation of the protesters who insist on preserving at least 250-300 jobs in the factory, which has recently gone bankrupt, and on the payment of some 15 million kuna which 460 former KIO Keramika workers demand for their overdue salaries and severance packages.
The protesters' leader Ivan Muzur told reporters that the Vojnic-based Keramika Modus company, which had bought the Orahovica plant at a public auction, had already started dismantling the factory.
Only a few workers are employed in dismantling the factory, while the rest of Kio Keramika employees are registered with the local employment office.
Muzur said that keeping 250-300 jobs in Kio Keramika would mean a lot for that eastern Croatian town.
The disgruntled protesters also accuse the SSSH's union of energy and chemical industry workers of failing to fight for the interests of Kio Keramika workers.
In late October they began a tent sit-in in the centre of Orahovica demanding fulfillment of their demands.
