Croatia: Struggle in "Mundus Varazdin"

After several cases of the company failing to fulfill its obligations towards the workers, more than 200 employees of “Mundus Varazdin“ went on strike two days ago. The workers have not yet received their monthly salary for October and have only been paid a part of their salary for September. Salaries are not the only issue raised by the striking workers – the company has yet to pay for the employees' transportation expenses from August and September of 2009. Some problems go all the way back to 2003, since the employer hasn't contributed to the workers' pension fund at all in the last 7 years.

Privatised in the early nineties, the Mundus Group consists of several companies, primarily involved in the manufacturing industry, with furniture being their main product. The working environment is far from appropriate and little money has been spent on improving safety conditions for the workers. It should therefore come as no surprise to learn that the management also fails at taking into account even the most basic right – the minimum wage. The monthly salary for Mundus workers is about 100 kuna lower than the national minimum.

With the recent case of Kamensko (a textile factory in Croatia) and their several weeks long struggle, as well as the debate on the labour law referendum, workers’ rights have been brought to public attention once more, following a period of general passivity. The dissatisfied workers of Mundus, whose situation is also a part of these recent developments, have said that they would remain on strike until their unpaid wages and transportation expenses have been taken care of. The Network of Anarcho-Syndicalists (MASA) stands in full solidarity with the workers and supports their demands.