Politics in 'Kolubara' - Some Can, Some Can't: Alleged Letter to Vučić Denied by Union

The recent dismissals of workers at Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) and the Kolubara mining basin have ignited controversy, with former employees alleging political retribution for their support of citizen protests. Goran Perišić, a former Kolubara worker, claims his dismissal stemmed from his public backing of student blockades and protests. He points to a letter, allegedly written by the president of the Kolubara union to President Vučić, as evidence of the deep politicization within EPS and the union's alleged involvement in political campaigns.

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You cannot and must not misuse your workplace, your position, or ultimately the company that pays you for political purposes.

The letter, if authentic, suggests a disturbing level of entanglement between state-owned enterprises, union leadership, and ruling party politics. Perišić alleges that union leaders, including Nikola Stanić, a director at EPS and an official of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, were involved in coordinating political activities and mobilizing workers for rallies and elections. These claims, supported by alleged photographic evidence of Stanić in election-related contexts, paint a picture of a system where political loyalty may supersede professional conduct and employee rights.

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We receive approximately between 25 and 35 requests for endoscopic studies per day and have a capacity of only 55 to 60 procedures per month.

However, the EPS Kolubara union has vehemently denied these allegations. They categorically refute the existence of the letter and dismiss the claims of political coordination as false, tendentious, and malicious fabrications. The union asserts that Nikola Stanić did not coordinate any political actions and that their organization has not engaged in the activities described. They have vowed to take legal measures against those spreading misinformation. Meanwhile, Serbian Minister of Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović has publicly stated that politics has no place in EPS, underscoring the government's official stance against such practices, even as these accusations cast a shadow over the energy sector's integrity.

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All of the above was known to Nikola Stanić, one of the directors of EPS, who was in charge of monitoring the elections and who coordinated the actions in which our union participated, and who made an exceptional contribution to the victory of the ruling party.