Difficult days for steelworks in Sisak - Only 50 out of 900 workers return to factory

And while Serbia seeks a strategic partner for Zelezara Smederevo steelworks, the steel mill in Sisak, Croatia has got a new owner from Italy. That does not mean that workers are relieved.

The city officials and Alessandro Trivilin, chairman of the Managing Board of Italy's Acciaierie Bertoli Safau (ABS), have presented business plans: ABS will hire back only 50 out of former 900 workers within the next two years, and the production of seamless and welded pipes at that plant will be discontinued after going on for several decades.

Production of pipes is to be halted because it is unprofitable, and machines have already been sold and now need to be moved to Mexico.

As Trivilin explained, production of special types of steel will be started until the year's end, but its volume will be smaller than before. The company ABS plans to make significant investments in the second phase, but even that won't lead to the creation of new jobs.