FIAT Serbia employees block highway in Belgrade

FOTO TANJUG/JADRANKA ILIC/

Employees of the FIAT Automobiles Serbia plant blocked the highway through Belgrade on Wednesday, protesting management plans to lay some of them off and the government's failure to guarantee redundancy pay.

The FIAT employees came to Belgrade from Kragujevac in buses and cars to block both sides of the highway. FIAT workers negotiation team member Igor Andjic told N1 earlier that the plan earned the government and FIAT more than 3 billion Dollars over the past 10 years, adding that there has to be a company fund to cover redundancy pay.

The convoy of buses and cars was not stopped by police along the way. Traffic police at the road block only told the protesters that they should let emergency service vehicles through.

The protesters were joined by environmental activists and opposition politicians.

The Stellantis company which has taken over the plant to make electricity-powered cars said some workers would be laid off and others would be offered jobs at their plants in other countries. The workers met with Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and her associates but failed to reach any agreement.