Start of production in Biočki stan pit around July 1st

The inscription “Good luck” above the mine in the Biočki stan pit, in Nikšić Župa, has not been happy for Nikšić miners in the last fifteen years. Twice they demanded the payment of wages 5,000 meters underground, and after ten years a new start and work for the Bumech company from Poland lasted only six years. Therefore, they hope that New Bauxity and the new beginning will be more profitable this time and that around 70 workers will be engaged for a long period of time.
At least as long as there is ore, which, according to geological research, is about three million tons.
– We expect the business of the new company and our future work to enter calmer waters. Let this not be short-lived. The workers are ready to give their full contribution so that this company would work and survive – said Igor Krulanović, representative of the miners of the Biočki stan pit.
Companies from Nikšić, Rapax and Center for Recycling, have signed a contract with Uniprom metals, which owns the property of the former Bauxite Mine since 2015, on the exploitation of ore in the Biočki stan pit for a period of five years, with the possibility of extension, and the start of production is expected in the next of the day.
– The activities started a month and a half ago with the preparation of the machines that were taken from the Poles and were in a very bad condition. That worked out pretty well. We are still preparing them and rehabilitating the pit in order to start production around July 1st. If everything goes according to plan, there will be stability for both workers and employers for a long period – said Željko Markuš, technical manager of maintenance at the Biočki stan pit.
The exploitation of bauxite ore in the Biočki stan pit from 2016 to May last year was carried out by the Polish company Bumech, which concluded a 27-year contract with Uniprom Metali.
The Poles stopped production in May, when about 110 workers lost their jobs, and most of the equipment was sold to the company New Bauxites.
– We are behind a difficult period in the past year. The Polish company, for some reason known to them, decided to throw the job in the pit and left about a hundred of us without work. We ended up at the Labor Bureau. 58 of us former employees of Bumach were hired by the new company, and the rest of the employees were eligible for retirement. There are also fifteen new workers, and the new company is intensively working on starting production, which is expected at the beginning of July – said Krulanović.
The Poles did not pay taxes and contributions to the workers for the period from January to June last year, and Krulanović hopes that this will happen when “the state takes matters into its own hands” and introduces bankruptcy.
– The Bumech company owes us EUR 210,000 in taxes and contributions for six months. We even kept some machines there in order to pay for it, but it did not give results. I think the problem lies with the state, because they are the ones who allowed taxes and contributions to be owed. This can only be done through bankruptcy, but it is not clear to us why the state no longer applies bankruptcy to that company – said Krulanović.
According to Markuš, their plan is to exploit around 300,000 tons of ore annually.
Apart from the Biočki stan mine, which is part of the Seoca mine, the Đurakov mine is also active, where the work is organized by the Turkish company Zeta-Mine.

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