Livit, a company owned by former minister Ivan Vrdoljak, has decided to close its plant for the processing of waste sludge in Belišće. The company's management announced the decision on Tuesday, and Vrdoljak himself confirmed it to Hina.
Vrdoljak claimed that the company was forced to take this step due to the decision by Belišće mayor Ivana Jerbić and the city's municipal utility Kombel to unilaterally terminate the contract for their previous cooperation. The closure of the plant will result in the termination of employment contracts for ten employees, with the dismissals taking effect on 1 December. Workers will, as announced, be paid their salaries and severance pay.
Livit has initiated legal proceedings against Belišće and Kombel over the unilateral termination of the contract, seeking to protect its interests, particularly the funds already invested. These amounts are in the millions. The company simultaneously has significant credit obligations resulting from the closure of the facility. Vrdoljak also considers it questionable where waste sludge from wastewater treatment plants in Belišće, Osijek and other Slavonian cities will be collected and disposed of from now on.
The decision to close followed years of citizen complaints about unpleasant odours from the waste sludge processing plant, as well as a procedure that determined that some materials at the site have hazardous properties. Osijek-Baranja County revoked Livit's operating permit in September, and the company has appealed that decision. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition will rule on the appeal.
The Belišće City Administration welcomed Livit's announcement of the cessation of operations at the facility in the city, assessing it as the first major result of years of efforts by citizens and the City Administration to resolve the problem of unpleasant odours. Mayor Jerbić stated that the City had continuously reported irregularities to the State Inspectorate and sent letters to Osijek-Baranja County and the competent ministry. She emphasised that serious negotiations had been conducted with Livit to find a legally sustainable and efficient solution.
Jerbić stressed that the City Administration's efforts were never directed against the workers, but against a problem that has affected the quality of life of thousands of fellow citizens for years. Referring to the lawsuits announced by Livit, she said that they had expected this. She also stated that there are institutions and legal mechanisms for all disputed issues and that, if the price of fighting for a better quality of life for the citizens of Belišće is the continuation of legal proceedings, they will not run from them.
