MP Mešalić Leaves Parliament Session to Join Protests

MP in the Federal Parliament Mahir Mešalić from DF left today's Parliament session and joined workers who have been protesting in Sarajevo since this morning, writes Patria.

A group of about a hundred workers from struggling public companies from the Tuzla Canton, including workers from the once renowned companies Fortuna, TTU, Aida..., are protesting in front of the FBiH Parliament building due to the Government's draft Law on Bankruptcy, which, according to the workers, would put them in an unfavorable position.

The session of the Federal Parliament is ongoing, and the draft Law on Bankruptcy is before the MPs.

Mešalić told Patria that if the draft, i.e., the Law on Bankruptcy, is adopted as proposed by the Government, the workers, who are already disenfranchised, would suffer the most.

- According to the current draft, it is planned that the claims of banks and bankruptcy trustees will be settled first in case of bankruptcy, i.e., the sale of a public company. Only after these obligations are settled, will the obligations to the workers be settled from the remaining money – this is unacceptable – said Mešalić.

- Workers are not to blame for the collapse of companies, but rather the managements and governments that appointed incompetent personnel to lead state-owned companies. It is not fair for workers to be punished by this law – added Mešalić.

A working group composed of representatives of the World Bank and ministries of the FBiH Government stated that certain areas are not well regulated in the current Law on Bankruptcy, which is why the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina proposed the adoption of a new law, writes NAP.