SDP: Layoffs of FDS Workers Are a Consequence of Criminal Privatization Carried Out Under the Direction of the FBiH Government

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The announcement of the layoff of 218 workers of the Sarajevo Tobacco Factory is a consequence of the criminal privatization of this company, carried out by the current Government of the Federation of BiH, warn from the SDP.

- The government sold the state capital in FDS to a company with two employees, which does not even have a website, and that company resold the production part of FDS to the company British American Tobacco.

All other properties and shares of FDS in a huge number of companies remained in the possession of the phantom company with two employees and their local patrons.

The price of all this is being paid today by the workers of FDS, just as the price of a series of similar privatization robberies was paid by thousands of other workers in BiH.

This did not have to be the case if the FBiH Parliament had accepted the SDP's conclusion two years ago to suspend all privatizations in FBiH until the adoption of a new Law on Privatization, which was rejected by the current authorities.

Also, at that time, the ruling coalition in FBiH rejected the SDP's proposal to request that the Financial Police carry out a control of FDS's operations.

We demand from the FBiH Government to get involved in solving this problem and try to stop the layoffs and the almost certain shutdown of production at FDS.

We call on the prosecutor's offices in BiH to finally react and stop this robbery, and to finally act on a series of criminal charges that have been filed due to events in and related to FDS, among which are criminal charges filed by the SDP - it was announced from the SDP.