Part of Lazarevac public utility workers strike over unpaid wages

Workers at the Public Utility Company (JPKP) in Lazarevac have initiated a strike, protesting the non-payment of their wages. Vladimir Jovanović, commissioner of the municipal board for the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP), voiced strong support for the striking employees, emphasizing their basic need for income to support their families.

Jovanović stated that the workers are not demanding anything beyond what is rightfully theirs – their earned salaries. He highlighted that these wages are essential for providing for families, preparing children for school, and securing necessities for the winter, describing these as minimum requirements for human dignity that the authorities are denying.

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These people are not asking for anything that is not theirs. They are asking for wages for their work to feed their families, equip their children for school, prepare winter supplies, that is the minimum of dignity, and the authorities are denying them even that.

The strike is presented as a symptom of a larger financial collapse within the company. Jovanović pointed to a blocked company account of 7.4 million dinars since August 12 as merely the tip of the iceberg. He revealed that the company has incurred losses exceeding 870 million dinars over the past three years, and its total assets have been halved in five years, with the book value of fixed assets decreasing by 58 percent.

Adding to the workers' grievances, Jovanović noted that those responsible for bringing the company to its current precarious state continue to receive their salaries without issue. Meanwhile, the workers, who are deemed blameless for the financial mismanagement, are left without their much-needed earnings. The SSP has pledged its full and unconditional support to the striking workers.

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They who brought the company to the brink are receiving their salaries regularly, and the workers, the only ones not to blame, are left without their earnings.