Court in Sarajevo to Sell Main Building of Neretva Today to Settle Salaries for 12 Workers

The oldest Bosnian-Herzegovinian company for the production of orthopedic aids, „Neretva“ d.d. from Sarajevo, will lose its main business building in Kemal-begova Street on Thursday, BH news agency Patria (NAP) learns.

To settle part of the debt to 12 workers, their unpaid salaries, the Municipal Court in Sarajevo will sell the premises of „Neretve“ on Thursday, where the workers and production machines are still located.

Employees of this state-owned company, which has a tradition of 66 years, sued the company due to unpaid salaries and other obligations, after which the Court ruled in favor of the workers.

It is surprising that the Court is asking for a starting price of only 270,000 KM for 800 square meters of luxurious „Neretvinih“ real estate in the strict center of the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, although residential space at this location cannot be bought for less than 2,000 KM per square meter.

For Neretva's attractive building, three interested buyers had applied by Wednesday, Patria learns, who have already deposited their deposits. The buyer who offers more money on Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Municipal Court will become the owner of the multi-million property, located just 150 meters from the building of the Presidency of BiH.

The director of „Neretve“, Senad Osmanagić, confirmed to Patria that the Municipal Court in Sarajevo will sell Neretva's premises in Kemal-begova Street, from which part of the claims of 12 workers will be settled.

- From the money that "Neretva" receives from the sale of the building, only part of the workers' claims based on unpaid salaries and contributions can be settled. Also, this involves settling part of the obligations towards 12 workers, while the claims of other workers will not be able to be settled from the sale of this property – said Osmanagić for Patria.

Osmanić says that Neretva, despite the injustice being done to this company, will not cease operations, customers will not suffer due to the situation, and the machines and workers will be relocated to another location.

The market for orthopedic aids in BiH is huge. Experts estimate that in our country alone, the annual turnover of orthopedic aids is worth several tens of millions of marks.

Precisely in this fact, says Osmanagić, the answer may lie as to why the authorities of the Sarajevo Canton want to destroy „Neretvu“. The disappearance of „Neretve“ would mean more work for foreign and private companies engaged in the same business. In the Sarajevo Canton alone, there are three of them. Director Osmanagić wonders where those companies were during the aggression against BiH, when „Neretva“ played an important role in the production of orthopedic aids for wounded soldiers of the Army of RBiH and civilians of this country.

By the same recipe, the authorities are currently in the Sarajevo Canton approving the destruction of Neretva, ZOI '84, PD Butmir, the Veterinary Station of the Sarajevo Canton, and several other companies. The business buildings of these promising state-owned companies are being sold or rented out at giveaway prices, in order to devalue the companies as much as possible, and their assets end up in the hands of private individuals, writes Patria.