Fiat is ending production scheduled for this year, but continues to break the law. The state is still not reacting or is impotent (we do not know which is worse), while the state labour inspection has been trying to justify the violations by finding legal loopholes.
“The machines at the Fiat factory, which were moved from Fiat Plastik to the main production hall in the middle of the strike at Fiat Plastik, without Fiat officially informing the relevant trade union about the relocation, are still in another factory, although the new regulation on the systemisation of work provides for their assembly within the factory, which means that Fiat has indirectly admitted in the internal factory documentation that the situation is not quite up to standard. But the inspection couldn’t care less,” says the press release of the Independent Union of Metalworkers of Serbia, the only representative trade union at the factory.
In the statement, the union recalls that before that, workers’ salaries were reduced in the midst of the epidemic.
“Some would say that it is true capitalism, cutting costs and maximising profits, but these rules apply only to the Fiat workers, while the salaries of subcontractors have not been reduced, even though they have the same number of working days. Moreover, Fiat made a profit during the epidemic, thanks to the help of the state, because they had no additional losses compared to previous years, when they managed to get out of it, once again, probably at the expense of the state,” the press release adds.
The union also says that Fiat has arrogantly ignored the strike and the generated losses were transferred to the state to cover, although a small segment of this loss was sufficient to meet the demands of the workers on strike. Also, in the middle of the strike, some of the strikers were illegally sent on forced leave, which led to complaints against the managers but again the labour inspection did not react. The trade unionists ask all trade unions to do what they are made to do – to protect the rights of workers in Serbia.
(Danas, 22.11.2021)
https://www.danas.rs/vesti/ekonomija/fijat-zavrsava-sa-proizvodnjom-ali-ne-i-krsenjem-zakona/
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