It is possible that former Minister for Privatization, Mr. Aleksandar Vlahovic, intended to speed up privatization, but that aspiration anguished thousands of workers’ families. Quick or, better still, haste privatization turned out to be brutal, and that brutality could not even be concealed with various forms of “legality”, as the case of company “Bioprotein” from Obrenovac, the sole ecological manufacturer of Soya flour, and one of three such producers in Europe, clearly shows.

Former Director of “Bioprotein”, Mr. Ivan Backovic, managed to indebt the company with company “Bankom” from Zemun, whose main office is in Republic of Srpska. Due to the inappropriate business, workers brought charges against him, and advised Minister Vlahovic in due time. He made no comments. In April 2003, three buyers participated in the auction, all in connection with the company ‘’ Bankom’’: one an employee, second a stock holder, and third debtor of the ‘’Bankom’’. Bidders did not accept the starting price in the first round, and in the second one the company was sold to ‘’Bankom’’ for 9, 8 million dinars bonds of the formerly blocked foreign currency savings accounts.

President of the Commission, Mr. Bogdan Petrovic annulled the auction on the spot, due to the violation of the free competition principle. ‘’Bankom’’, nevertheless, files a complaint to Minister Vlahovic, who annuls the decision of the Agency because they ‘’failed to give an explanation to the decision”. Workers of the company “Bioprotein” respond: “Further legal actions were not conducted, because the decision did not contain a legal remedy, which led us to believe that the ruling was final”.

This is how, due to the ‘’sloppiness of two clerks’’, one, on the spot, annulled auction turned into a successful one. For 126 workers hell begins. Already 36 of them left the company without any compensation, the rest live in fear from following actions of the owner who may praise the Ministry for Privatization for their ‘’ formality’’, so constant as to annul the heart of the privatization. President of the Union, Mr. Nikola Jovancic, who pointed out to these deficiencies was fired in July this year. The company ‘’Bankom’’ threatens to dismiss more, and restructuring to reduce a number of workers to 49 is to be performed.

President of the Council,
Ms Verica Barac