Croacia - Railway workers dismissed for speaking to trade union

In June 2021, two Turkish companies, Cengiz Insaat Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S. and Ci-Ay Mühendislik, were hired to reconstruct a railway section in Croatia. From the beginning of the project, SGH, an affiliate in the construction sector of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (SSSH), contacted the management of the two companies to discuss the need to respect and apply the sectoral collective agreement for all the workers working on the reconstruction project. This includes Turkish workers brought in for the project. In June 2021, the union affiliate had a formal meeting with the management during which they asked for the consent of the employer to talk to workers, outside their working hours, to inform them of their rights. The management refused, claiming they respected the agreement and that any attempt at disseminating information to workers would only confuse them more. The employer then proceeded to decline any request from the SGH for further discussions.

On 17 February 2022, SGH visited the workers on the construction site during their break and handed them leaflets on their rights under the collective agreement. Workers reported a series of violations of their rights (e.g., working 250-300 hours a month; no paid overtime; not paid for days not worked because of bad weather, sickness, etc.). Immediately thereafter, seventeen workers received a text message informing them that they had been fired. No reason was given, but it appears that this measure is a clear act of retaliation.

SSSH and SGH requested immediate intervention from Croatian institutions – including the relevant ministry, the State Inspection for Labour, and Croatian Railways – and are organising a solidarity campaign.

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