Govt. won’t be blackmailed, says Dinkić

Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic says “blackmail” by the public sector workers will not be condoned. Speaking on Wednesday evening, he also remarked that those who are not satisfied with their salaries should change their jobs. Govt. won’t be blackmailed, says Dinkic “The trade union of the national power company Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), cannot ask for a 17 percent salary increase, basing this on the 20 percent increase in the cost of electricity, when their average monthly salary is around RSD 50,000,” Dinkic told a press conference at the Finance Ministry. The minister pointed out that this would mean that pensioners, 800,000 of whom have a pension lower than RSD 15,000, would pay more money for electricity and thus finance those who already have big salaries. “ To steal from the poor is a disgrace,” Dinkic was quoted as saying. He also met with officials of the Kursumlija municipality, where privatized Kopaonik wood processing plant workers have been striking by blocking the Nis-Pristina road for a month. “It’s o0ut of the question that I will travel to Kursumlija under these circumstances. If someone’s blocking the road thinking that a state official will come to talk to them, they’re very much mistaken,” said he. He accused former owners and “people from Kursumlija” for the company’s woes and said it was not the fault of “tycoons, or people from Belgrade”. Dinkic also announced that a team of experts would travel there by the end of the week to produce an analysis, and said the state would help by giving funds to the new partner under favorable condition. He added that production there could restart “in a month to a month and a half”.

Govt. won’t be blackmailed, says Dinkić

“The trade union of the national power company Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), cannot ask for a 17 percent salary increase, basing this on the 20 percent increase in the cost of electricity, when their average monthly salary is around RSD 50,000,” Dinkić told a press conference at the Finance Ministry.

The minister pointed out that this would mean that pensioners, 800,000 of whom have a pension lower than RSD 15,000, would pay more money for electricity and thus finance those who already have big salaries.

“ To steal from the poor is a disgrace,” Dinkić was quoted as saying.

He also met with officials of the Kuršumlija municipality, where privatized Kopaonik wood processing plant workers have been striking by blocking the Niš-Priština road for a month.

“It’s o0ut of the question that I will travel to Kuršumlija under these circumstances. If someone’s blocking the road thinking that a state official will come to talk to them, they’re very much mistaken,” said he.

He accused former owners and “people from Kuršumlija” for the company’s woes and said it was not the fault of “tycoons, or people from Belgrade”.

Dinkić also announced that a team of experts would travel there by the end of the week to produce an analysis, and said the state would help by giving funds to the new partner under favorable condition.

He added that production there could restart “in a month to a month and a half”.