Wednesday, September 19, 2007

MITTAL STEEL ZENICA UNION LEADERS GIVEN SUSPENDED SENTENCES

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 19,2007) – Mittal Steel Zenica Union President Islam Imamovic and 11 other members of the BH Steel Zenica Steel Mill Main Board have been given suspended prison sentences of six months by the verdict of the Zenica Municipal Court.

Judge Stanko Blagic said that the 12 members of the Main Board have in May 2004 commited the criminal offence of abuse of office by acting in violation of the decision of the BiH Steel Zenica Still Mill Supervisory Board and providing compensation in the amount of 100.000 Bosnian Marks for the heating of apartments only to Union members, instead of providing help to all employees.

“603 workers have as a result been denied the amount of 15.075 Bosnian Marks”. Sudija Blagic said.

Mittal Steel Zenica Union President Islam Imamovic said that the verdict does not represent “a verdict only to individuals, but to the entire Union”.

“This is also a message to other unions in Bosnia what awaits them after a fair fight for the workers’ rights. We claim that we fought for the rights of the Union members and if we received the funds tomorrow again we would again offer them to the Union members”, Imamovic said.

The Mittal Steel Union leadership will appeal the decision.

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