Nikšić: Fadil Novalić's Government Pursues Interests of Party Tycoons on the Backs of Krivaja Workers

Regarding numerous untruths, fabrications and manipulations presented in the statement of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, concerning events at „Krivaja“ from Zavidovići during the mandate of the FBiH Government 2011 – 2014, I am obliged, in the public interest, to provide the following information, says Nermin Nikšić, President of the SDP, Patria reports.

- It is not true that the FBiH Government terminated the joint investment agreement with the company „Ferimpex“ d.o.o. Zavidovići, which established the business entity „Krivaja 1884“, as claimed by Fadil Novalić's Government; rather, the agreement was unilaterally terminated by representatives of the company „Ferimpex“ d.o.o. Zavidovići, information which Fadil Novalić can very easily find in the archives of the FBiH Government.

It is not true that the company „Krivaja 1884“ „regularly paid workers' salaries and fulfilled contribution obligations“; rather, it is true that the debt to workers and funds from this period amounts to around 35 million marks, as established by a special commission formed by the FBiH Government, based on information from the FBiH Tax Administration and a business audit conducted by the auditing firm Dervi d.o.o. from Jajce, which Fadil Novalić can very easily find in the archives of the FBiH Government or by simply reviewing news on this topic on the internet.

„Krivaja 1884“ d.o.o. was never legally registered as a business entity, because this was contested for more than three years before the competent court in Zenica by a group of former workers of IP Krivaja d.o.o., based on whose request the bankruptcy proceedings over IP Krivaja d.o.o. Zavidovići were ultimately initiated.

Therefore, the bankruptcy is a consequence of this request, not of the termination of the agreement, which is also evident from a series of reports available in the FBiH Government, which Fadil Novalić does not want to read or does not like what is written in them.

The question arises: how did the company „Krivaja 1884“, established during the mandate of and by the Government led by the SDA, to which millions of marks were given from the FBiH budget, even operate and do business when it was not registered? This is, after all, also claimed by the legal representatives of the company „Ferimpex“ in the dispute against the FBiH Government, as an argument that they do not have to pay the debt of 35 million KM because, as a company, they did not even exist?!

If Fadil Novalić and the current members of the FBiH Government read the reports of Government institutions and bodies, they would know this information. Instead, they present untruths, obviously calculated to harm the interests of the FBiH in the dispute against the company „Ferimpex“, which certainly bears the hallmarks of a serious criminal offense.

In the period between the termination of the agreement with „Ferimpex“ and the initiation of bankruptcy proceedings, IP Krivaja d.o.o. operated for several months as a company wholly owned by the FBiH Government, and during that period the Government appointed a temporary Supervisory Board, which appointed Suvad Džinda as acting director.

Upon the initiation of bankruptcy proceedings, representatives of the FBiH Government, the „IP Krivaja“ Union, and several bankruptcy trustees who held that position during that period, with the participation of the bankruptcy judge, held numerous discussions trying to find a solution to save the company, which at that time employed more than 1,200 people.

As a result of these discussions, the Creditors' Assembly decided that the bankruptcy proceedings would not be concluded through the sale of assets, but would attempt to be concluded through a company reorganization process, which implied the continuation of production and the preservation of jobs.

The engagement of Suvad Džinda during that period was entirely related to the decisions of the then bankruptcy trustees, not the FBiH Government, because that was the only legally possible option.

After the company reorganization process failed, the bodies of the bankruptcy proceedings decided to proceed with the sale of assets. At that moment, the FBiH Government insisted on trying to find a buyer for the assets who would also accept all workers, in order to preserve jobs, which was accepted as a condition in the sale of assets by the bankruptcy trustee.

In the asset sale process, conducted by the bankruptcy trustee, the FBiH Government accepted, and I personally signed, an agreement by which the FBiH Government committed to, in the manner that would be done for all other workers in the FBiH, recognize the service years of „Krivaja“ workers so that all these workers could exercise their fundamental right, which is to receive a pension after meeting the conditions. This agreement received all positive opinions from the relevant ministries and offices, including the Federal Attorney's Office, which Fadil Novalić can very easily verify in the archives of the FBiH Government.

Therefore, I emphasize once again, the only interest of my Government and me as Prime Minister of the FBiH during that period was to try to preserve Krivaja and the jobs in this company, and to ensure the possibility of retirement for those workers who had earned that right.

The shameful attempts of the FBiH Government, led by Fadil Novalić, to settle scores with political opponents through lies, manipulations and severe human destinies, will go down in the annals of disgrace in BiH politics.

The duty of every Government, including this one led by Fadil Novalić, is to help the workers of Krivaja, as well as all other disenfranchised and robbed citizens, and not to satisfy the interests of party tycoons on their backs, which is what Novalić and his Government are doing.

I assure them that this will not help them at all in the very soon accountability for all the illegalities they have committed in the process of selling the Sarajevo Tobacco Factory and a series of other cases.

SDP BiH and I will continue to fight for workers' rights, and you continue to fight for the rights of your tycoons - says Nikšić.

This response was sent after the FBiH Government issued a statement outlining the chronology of events concerning the developments in Krivaja.