Production workers at YURA’s factory in Niš, which employs about 2,700 people, are not allowed to use air conditioners despite the current heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius in the shade.
Workers of the Korean company YURA are forced to work in T-shirts and shorts, and the factory’s management has so far failed to respond to the petition asking for the air conditioning to be turned on.
“This year, the air conditioners, which are normally turned, are shut off completely. Come 10 or 11 a.m. it is already hellishly hot in the production hall. Despite wearing only T-shirts and shorts, we are all sweating profusely. This is really difficult to bear particularly for the workers who are in poor health. No one has fallen seriously ill yet, but that is very likely to happen,” said some employees, who wish to remain anonymous.
Earlier last week, workers reportedly signed a petition to the management to turn on cooling devices, but with no results so far. Last Saturday, the managers of various factory departments said they were ready to stop production if the production halls were not cooled down.
“Members of the Workers’ Council talked to a management representative, a Korean, but he told them whoever doesn’t like the working conditions is free to go home. The only real solution would be to stop production, but if anyone did that, they would be penalized,” the workers said.
(Nova, 06.07.2022)
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