Salonit former workers protest asbestos compensation exclusion

Former workers of the Salonit factory in Vranjic have staged a protest to demand compensation for asbestos exposure. The dispute arises from a proposed amendment to the law regarding worker compensation.

The current legislative proposal aims to provide approximately 29,000 euros to 340 employees who were exposed to asbestos for at least five years between October 1991 and February 2006, provided they had not already received compensation for job loss. However, roughly 180 former workers who previously received compensation for losing their jobs in 2006 argue they are being unfairly excluded from this new round of payments.

Protesters maintain that all employees at the facility were exposed to dangerous asbestos dust regardless of their previous settlement status. While some workers have passed away, the proposed law would allow their heirs to claim these rights.