Investors like Linglong have the status of “sacred cows” in Serbia. This is what Ranka Savić from the Association of free and independent trade unions says for N1. She says that the Government should ask the question “whether the interest of the Chinese investor is more important than the interest of the workers and citizens of Serbia”.
In front of the gates of the construction site of the future tire factory, the message is clear – there is no free work. Serbian subcontractors complain – they only ask for what belongs to them. Payments are delayed for months, even though the Law on terms of settlement of financial obligations in commercial transactions defined that collection must be carried out in a maximum of 60 days.
Workers explain – there is a ping-pong game of responsibility all the time. The main contractor “China Energy Group”, a state-owned Chinese company, owes millions of euros, and it itself demands money from the private “Linglong”.
For journalist of the Voice Ivana Gordić, who has been following the work of the Chinese investor for months, there is nothing new in this. “Linglong, as the main implementer of this project, will never be sued, because this company hires a subcontractor, the subcontractor are hiring another subcontractor, and so on and so we are spinning in a vicious circle in which we will not actually find the culprit,” explains Gordić.
In the company “Alfa technics” they say that “Linglong” owes them 5.5 million euros and that they would sue that company, but they fear that the dispute could last for years, and that during that time they could go bankruptcy.
Ranka Savić from the Association of free and independent trade unions believes that the Government, which brings in investors through interstate agreements, should intervene. She says, the foreign investor is like a “sacred cow”. She adds that he does not know of a single case where the tax or financial police entered a foreign company. “Especially, God forbid, to some Chinese company, while it’s like a good day with domestic companies where they perform various inspections weekly or monthly,” Savić points out.
Milica Marinković from Initiative A11 recalls the case of Vietnamese and Chinese workers, and states that “Linglong” does not respect the laws from the very beginning, which the state persistently ignores. “And we don’t really know if there will be a reaction, maybe more will follow because of public pressure.” But honestly, now even if there is a reaction from the state, in two or three months we will again hear a similar case related to ‘Linglong'”, says Marinković. She points out that justice can be sought before international institutions through the courts, but that all instances must be passed here.
Source:
Šta se sve toleriše Linglongu – od vijetnamskih radnika do dugova podizvođačima (n1info.com)