"Matroz" finally found buyer?

- After seven unsuccessful attempts at selling Mitrovica-based "Matroz", the Privatization Agency is, finally, sending signals that interested buyers appeared and that they are willing to take over the factory of cellulose and paper as a whole - said Stevan Romakov, the President of the Municipal Council of the independent trade unions in Sremska Mitrovica.

He reminded that the Privatization Agency had earlier tried to start the initiative for division of the whole production complex at 45 ha into technological units, which would be then offered for sale.

The factory complex comprises units for production of cellulose, paper and korohumus, printing firm and administrative building, while office and retail facilities in the city were sold during the bankruptcy proceedings, as well as building machines and vehicles in the factory.

The first three tenders were unsuccessful, although over 100m USD worth of debts of "Matroz" were written off during the restructuring process. The bankruptcy followed, and the factory, which used to have 3,500 employees, laid off 1,000 workers. In spite of that, four attempts at selling the company in bankruptcy have failed.