Are employees at one of Serbia’s largest companies, which receives multimillion-pound state subsidies, actually working as undocumented workers?
N1 presents the testimony of a whistleblower from the Minth car parts factory in Loznica, recorded before she was arrested and deported to China.
These were the last days of freedom for the Chinese national before she was arrested for not leaving Serbia after her tourist visa expired. On that same visa, she worked for almost a year and a half at the Minth factory in Loznica – without a work permit.
“In the second month after our arrival, they gave us forms to fill in with our information, promising that we would enter the process of getting a visa. During those 16 months, they mentioned it more than ten times, constantly saying they would sort out the visas, but they never did,” said the Chinese worker.
Instead, every month for the duration of their tourist visas, the workers had to leave Serbia and re-enter at the border crossing located right next to the factory – and they were given clear instructions to do so.
Crossing the border for a new visa is a common occurrence – it’s not just the Chinese who do it, but also people from neighbouring countries. Border police often turn a blind eye, as this practice helps the local economy. However, corruption does occur in the region, so some individual border guards may ask for small favours. Women are less likely to be hassled and get through more easily. Men might be carrying cigarettes, alcohol, or some small change in their pocket; you can buy them a coffee at the nearby petrol station. Sometimes they will let you know what they expect,” the guide states.
When we sent these messages to a representative of the WinWin agency, which brings Chinese workers to Serbia and whose group chat these instructions were sent in, seeking an explanation, we received no reply. However, within minutes of sending the question, the female worker who provided us with the documents received messages from an unknown number.
At the border crossing near the Minth factory in Loznica, it is clear how this procedure works. The Chinese workers follow the instructions – they do not wear work uniforms, gather in small groups and cross the border without any luggage.
N1: Do you come here every month for your visa?
‘Yes.’
N1: You don’t have to do that, your employer has to apply for a work permit for you.
‘Yes, but the procedure for the employer takes time, and during this period, we have to do it this way.’
Has anyone noticed these daily migrations?
One would have to notice that a large number of Chinese nationals are periodically leaving Serbia and returning on the same day. We asked what the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, whose job it is to record entries and exits and to initiate proceedings for any potential breaches of the law, knew about this. We received no answer.
The Labour Inspectorate refused to provide us with reports from this factory or to answer the specific question of whether they had recorded people working at the Minth factory without the proper work permit. The employer is also remaining silent – the Minth Company has not responded to our questions either.
“No one can work in Serbia on a tourist visa. To be employed as a foreigner in Serbia, you must have either a temporary residence permit for employment, which includes a work permit under the Law on Foreigners, or humanitarian residence,” explained human rights lawyer Nikola Kovačević.
Working without a contract means that employees have no rights whatsoever, which employers take full advantage of.
‘The working situation is as follows: from the day we arrived, we worked continuously for 16 months, 12 hours a day, with no days off, on alternating 12-hour day and night shifts, and without any benefits or protection,’ the worker says.
She also suffered physical violence
This worker also suffered physical violence at the factory – a colleague attacked and punched her, and she was off work for 13 days due to her injuries.
“After that, I went to the Minth Company to ask the Chinese manager if I would be paid for my leave. When I entered the company’s gate, a security guard verbally tried to stop me and wouldn’t let me in, saying, ‘No, no’. I went in anyway. About 15 minutes later, two men from security escorted me into a corridor. First, they threatened me with words and gestures, telling me to leave. I didn’t leave, so one of the guards grabbed both my arms, and the other slapped me in the face,” she says.
As soon as she shared her experience on social media, the Serbian police knocked on her door. She was fined for overstaying her visa in Serbia, which she couldn’t afford to pay, so she spent 36 days in prison.
When she got out, she continued to speak out loudly about the problems, after which she was issued with a deportation order. That’s when she decided to speak to N1, as she suspects the company’s management reported her to the police for whistleblowing.
“I’m sure of it because many people who work there don’t have visas, so why am I the only one they’re going after? They just want to silence me and close the case. I’m not afraid. If they call the police to take me away, so be it. I can also share all my experiences and knowledge with the police, can’t I?” the worker said.
Waiting for deportation in a detention centre
Shortly after this interview, she was arrested and taken to an immigration detention centre where she is awaiting deportation. Will the police ever investigate this woman’s claims that she assembled car parts at the Minth, if she only had a contract with a recruitment agency, but never got her copy?
An activist who organises trade unions for foreign workers states that this fits a pattern of behaviour for Chinese investors.
“These large companies like Linglong, Minth, Zijin, and also some European companies that use agency services and employ foreign workers – they want to avoid responsibility in some way. However, the responsibility also lies with these companies, just as in construction, where the responsibility also lies with the investors to be aware of what their subcontractors are doing,” says Tara Rukeci Milivojević from the Zrenjanin Social Forum.
Minth is one of the foreign companies that receives the most generous state subsidies – last year alone, it was allocated 23.5 million euros. So why don’t they simply register their workers?
It’s because you can never have enough profit, Kovačević is certain.
“That company wouldn’t come here if the conditions weren’t more favourable than in another country, or if there were stronger controlling bodies for the illegalities they are committing. Obviously, Serbia has become a place where these companies are coming in droves – and when I say in droves, I mean hundreds of thousands of workers who are getting work visas or are coming as tourists and then working. I think the case you are dealing with is just a drop in the ocean,” says Nikola Kovačević.
According to him, people working in these conditions are in a dependent position, come from the poorest social strata, and their only intention is to earn some money to send to China.
That is why most of the workers remain silent and endure it.
(N1, 26.02.2026)
https://n1info.rs/biznis/kina-radnici-mint-rad-na-crno-loznica/