No agreement with hunger strike workers

A meeting between representatives of workers from the Kragujevac-based Partizan company and state officials ended without an agreement today. The three-member Partizan delegation was not content with the stances of the Shareholders Fund officials. No agreement with hunger strike workers A group of Partizan workers have been on a hunger strike for 14 days now. Workers were waiting for economy ministry officials, and told reporters that the meeting was cut short because there was "nothing to talk about". The meeting was attended by officials from labor and social policies ministry, Shareholders Fund, and Tax Administration. The talks today were supposed to be a forum for determining how much the owner of the company owes the state, who are the other creditors, and what the workers wish to achieve, as well as with what could be done for them. The meeting was arranged by Labor Minister Rasim Ljajic, who visited the striking workers yesterday and offered them help. Striker Union President Svetozar Bojanic said that the workers who at are on a hunger strike will not stop until officials in Belgrade find a solution. The workers believe that only the economy ministry can solve this problem. About 120 Partizan workers previously decided to forego some RSD 184mn owed to them in unpaid wages over the last eight years, and were asking to instead have their pension insurance paid and be allowed to retire, because many of them earned the right to a pension last year. But the company has denied the workers this option as well. The Partizan factory, opened in 1835, was privatized for the first time several years ago. Since the agreement to sell the company was dissolved in June 2008, the son of a Kragujevac businessman bought a majority of the company shares for just EUR 35,000. Workers claim that the sale was illegal. Ljajic said that since the company was bought on the stock market, it is a private company, and that therefore no state institution can help to solve the strikers' demands. The employer is not denying that money is owed to the workers, but Ljajic said that "the problem is that the workers expect the state to pay instead". "The state cannot break the law and set a precedent because it would open a Pandora’s Box, with workers in all privatized companies asking for aid from the state," Ljajic said. It was reported earlier in the day that the strikers stopped eating on April 22 and were facing growing health and psychological issues. 85 of Partizan's 115 workers have stopped working in protest in December, while eleven embarked on a hunger strike 12 days ago. They want their pension and disability insurance paid starting from January 1, 2004, and are also demanding implementation of a so-called social program, that would see 72 workers paid EUR 200 per each year of service before some of them are sent to the labor market.

No agreement with hunger strike workers

A group of Partizan workers have been on a hunger strike for 14 days now.

Workers were waiting for economy ministry officials, and told reporters that the meeting was cut short because there was "nothing to talk about".

The meeting was attended by officials from labor and social policies ministry, Shareholders Fund, and Tax Administration. The talks today were supposed to be a forum for determining how much the owner of the company owes the state, who are the other creditors, and what the workers wish to achieve, as well as with what could be done for them.

The meeting was arranged by Labor Minister Rasim Ljajić, who visited the striking workers yesterday and offered them help.

Striker Union President Svetozar Bojanić said that the workers who at are on a hunger strike will not stop until officials in Belgrade find a solution.

The workers believe that only the economy ministry can solve this problem.

About 120 Partizan workers previously decided to forego some RSD 184mn owed to them in unpaid wages over the last eight years, and were asking to instead have their pension insurance paid and be allowed to retire, because many of them earned the right to a pension last year.

But the company has denied the workers this option as well.

The Partizan factory, opened in 1835, was privatized for the first time several years ago.

Since the agreement to sell the company was dissolved in June 2008, the son of a Kragujevac businessman bought a majority of the company shares for just EUR 35,000.

Workers claim that the sale was illegal.

Ljajić said that since the company was bought on the stock market, it is a private company, and that therefore no state institution can help to solve the strikers' demands.

The employer is not denying that money is owed to the workers, but Ljajić said that "the problem is that the workers expect the state to pay instead".

"The state cannot break the law and set a precedent because it would open a Pandora’s Box, with workers in all privatized companies asking for aid from the state," Ljajić said.

It was reported earlier in the day that the strikers stopped eating on April 22 and were facing growing health and psychological issues.

85 of Partizan's 115 workers have stopped working in protest in December, while eleven embarked on a hunger strike 12 days ago.

They want their pension and disability insurance paid starting from January 1, 2004, and are also demanding implementation of a so-called social program, that would see 72 workers paid EUR 200 per each year of service before some of them are sent to the labor market.