Minister clarifies statement about lay-offs in HZ

The Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, ZLATKO KOMADINA, on Thursday clarified his recent statement about the need to provide for surplus workers in the rail operator Hrvatske Zeljeznice (HZ), saying that he was referring to some 5,000 workers who did not work in the company's core services, but that his statement did not mean that all of them were surplus labour.

"HZ has around 17,000 workers, and 5,000 of them are not employed in the core services, that's what I was talking about. It does not mean that all of them are surplus labour, quite the contrary, some of them work in services supporting the core business," Komadina said, adding that a final solution would be reached by the HZ management after the company was restructured.

Asked if those 5,000 workers would be among the first to be laid off should there be lay-offs, Komadina said that the HZ management would decide about it.

"It is not known how many workers will be laid off, and they will certainly be provided with severance pay, as in any other civilised country," said Komadina, adding that funds for severance packages would have to be secured through loans.


(Hina)