Negotiations on Status of Kragujevac Fiat Workers Fail, Protests To Be Held on June 17

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Serbia, Kragujevac (Photo: print screen/youtube)

Negotiations as part of a working group for Fiat workers have failed and we will launch protests and blockades starting June 17, workers' representative and negotiating team member Djordje Milojevic told BETA.

He said that he was informed by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic's office, by a member of the working group, that "they cannot produce an offer to the workers' demands by June 21." According to Milojevic, he was told that workers were still applying for going abroad to work that they did not want to "jeopardize the Fiat project" with their offer. "We do not want this to be dragged out. We are not going to wait for June 21 but will gather at noon, on July 17 in front of the city administration building and we will organize blockades," Milojevic said.

The working group negotiated the status of Fiat workers in the Kragujevac automobile factory due to the transition to electric cars which would render some workers redundant, while part of the workers are supposed to go abroad to work in Stellantis's factories. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Independent Union president Sasa Djordjevic said that 137 workers had applied for work abroad, which was the condition for keeping their jobs when the Stellantis Group goes electric. The deadline for applying has been extended to 1 p.m. on June 20.