Union leader: Strikes could spiral out of control

A union leader has warned that the growing discontent among workers in Serbia could see many ongoing strikes merge into “one protest”. Branislav Canak, who heads the Nezavisnost (Independence) Union Association, told B92 today that striking workers from Kursumlija, Belgrade, Novi Sad and other towns could unite into a wider protest, “which would not be controlled by unions, but by political centers of power”. Union leader: Strikes could spiral out of control He stated that his predictions that the protests would happen when they were least expected had come true, and that several strikes could unite into a larger protest at a critical moment which would represent an expression of general discontent. The responsibility for protests, bad privatization and unsuccessful economy partly lies with the government which is sending mixed signals to the workers, Canak says. “If the government representatives say that the recession is over, after claiming that salaries will be increased once it has ended, we should not be surprised that workers are demanding pay raises,” he pointed out. Commenting on the strike of public communal companies in Novi Sad, the president of the association said that these firms were functioning in the market and that although they were considered budget users, they were actually filling the budget. He explained that large public enterprises, such as Telekom Srbija, were making big profit which went to the budget, and that workers “logically expected that a part of it would be given to them”. Asked how it was possible that a public enterprise union could announce an agreement on increase of wages, when the government denied it, Canak said that it pointed to a lack of system-wide solutions and that issues were addressed from case to case. This union leader also stated that considering the current economical situation, “all requests made by workers were both justified and unjustified”, that “both government and workers were equally right and wrong”, and that it would be “hard to reach an agreement that would please both parties”. The strikers in Novi Sad (Beta)

Union leader: Strikes could spiral out of control

He stated that his predictions that the protests would happen when they were least expected had come true, and that several strikes could unite into a larger protest at a critical moment which would represent an expression of general discontent.

The responsibility for protests, bad privatization and unsuccessful economy partly lies with the government which is sending mixed signals to the workers, Čanak says.

“If the government representatives say that the recession is over, after claiming that salaries will be increased once it has ended, we should not be surprised that workers are demanding pay raises,” he pointed out.

Commenting on the strike of public communal companies in Novi Sad, the president of the association said that these firms were functioning in the market and that although they were considered budget users, they were actually filling the budget.

He explained that large public enterprises, such as Telekom Srbija, were making big profit which went to the budget, and that workers “logically expected that a part of it would be given to them”.

Asked how it was possible that a public enterprise union could announce an agreement on increase of wages, when the government denied it, Čanak said that it pointed to a lack of system-wide solutions and that issues were addressed from case to case.

This union leader also stated that considering the current economical situation, “all requests made by workers were both justified and unjustified”, that “both government and workers were equally right and wrong”, and that it would be “hard to reach an agreement that would please both parties”.