Strike at the plant “Zastava oruzje” – they do not want privatization
Agency Beta has received information from the trade union that workers at Kragujevac based plant “Zastava oruzje” have gone on strike until they demands are met.
According to president of the trade union Dragan Ilic, morning shift has around 1,700 workers and a small number of workers do not take part in the strike.
Ilic expects that negotiations on their demands will not only be held with management and Supervisory Board, but with representatives of state and Ministry of Defence as well.
Director of the plant “Zastava oruzje” Milojko Brzakovic claims that strike, which has commenced yesterday in that Kragujevac based plant, is unfounded and work arrest inflicts major damage to the company.
Brzakovic has stated with Beta agency that fulfilment of contractual obligations is jeopardized due to strike, since certain buyers hinted they might cancel their deliveries, which value measures in millions of dollars. He states that consequences of one-hour warning strikes, which preceded today’s strike, led to disturbance in dynamic of processing deliveries.
According to records provided by the management, between 40 and 50 percent of workers, i.e. from 700 to 750 employees took part in one-hour warning strikes that preceded today’s general strike.
Brzakovic has confirmed that salaries of workers who took part in one-hour strikes will be decreased, i.e. workers who are taking part in total work arrest as of today will not be paid.
Workers demand that Kragujevac based plant is excluded from the privatization procedure, stipulated by the new Law on Armament and Military Equipment, and employees to be excluded from 10 percent salary decrease.
Improvement of labour conditions, responsibility of managers for poor condition of the plant, payment of a bonus of RSD15,000 and holiday allowance until July 20th are among requests as well.
Izvor: Beta
Foto: YouTube screenshot
