The union of employees of the Salonit asbestos manufacturing company on Tuesday asked the Economy, Labour and Enterprise Ministry to pay EUR 50,000 in damages to each employee over impaired health and job loss, while the ministry offered HRK 30,000-60,000 per employee, the Croatian Association of Trade Unions steward for Dalmatia, Jozo Maric, told Hina.
The demand for damages refers to 169 workers who were employed at the company in Vranjic, southern Croatia, on 1 January 2006, when a list a hazardous substances came into force.
Under the union's proposal, each worker would receive EUR 30,000 before or during the removal of the asbestos from the company premises and EUR 20,000 from the capital of the company which would operate on the premises after the decontamination.
Maric described the government's offer as humiliating and announced that negotiations on the damages would resume.
