From: Jim Yarker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: FW: First Day of General Strike [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: Gregory Elich [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2001 5:58 PM To: Undisclosed-Recipient:; Subject: First Day of General Strike BETA (Belgrade) October 16, 2001 FIRST DAY OF GENERAL STRIKE Belgrade, 16 Oct (BETA) -- On the first day of a general strike organized by the Federation of Trade Unions of Serbia, life in Serbia has not been paralyzed, work has been normal in the majority of enterprises, transportation has functioned, and shops have been open. Contradictory information has been arriving from various sources and various parts of the country about the strike with which the Trade Union Federation wants to force the withdrawal of the proposed law on labor from Assembly proceedings. Miljenko Smiljanic, president of the Council of the Federation of Trade Unions of Serbia, declared that 40 percent of workers, that is about 500,000 people, were involved in various aspects of the protest, while Labor Minister Dragan Milovanovic stated that all enterprises were operating. At a news conference, Smiljanovic could not say how many workers had left work completely, that is participated in the strike with the observation of minimum work processes. He announced more precise data, but also more radical forms of protest, for tomorrow. As he previously announced on Monday, street protests across Serbia are planned for tomorrow, which will give a clearer insight into the number of workers who are protesting. Smiljanic announced an even more radical protest for Thursday, the blockading of major traffic arteries. The Nezavisnost Association of Guild Trade Unions, whose president, Branislav Canak, participated in last night's negotiations, decided today to organize a strike if a compromise with regard to the controversial regulations in the proposed law on labor is not found in the negotiations with the Government of Serbia. Radoslav Veselinovic, chairman of the Economic Chamber of Serbia (PKS), stated today that the call to strike had not been answered by a large number of workers. Veselinovic concluded that the strike "had not had great success." Members of the New Trade Union of Health Workers in the Clinical Center of Serbia (KCS) took part in a strike this morning. They say in the KCS that they will only admit emergency cases and take care of previously scheduled patients. Of 10,520 NSZ members, 2,500 work in the KCS, they state in that union. Members of the trade union employed in health and public welfare of Serbia and the Nezavisnost Guild Trade Union of Health Workers are not striking, but they support the work stoppage. Even though it was announced that city transportation in Belgrade would be paralyzed, the Belgrade GSP is not on strike, and transportation in Belgrade is operating with its usual congestion. The Belgrade Assembly reported today that all municipal systems, institutions, and services were operating normally. Assistant Education Minister Zarko Mihajlovic told the BETA agency that only about 10 of the 2,300 schools in Serbia were on strike. Education workers are striking by shortening classes to 30 minutes. In Cacak, the strike began with the signing of a petition to withdraw the law on labor from Assembly proceedings. According to what they state in the trade union council, the petition is being signed in Cacak enterprises, and a protest will be organized on the city's central square on Wednesday. A blockade of the approach roads toward Cacak in Atenica, Parmenac, and Konjevici has been announced for Thursday between 1200 and 1400. In Kragujevac, trade union members say that only five percent of industrial capacity is being utilized even without a strike, because the economy is practically at a standstill. Employees of the Kragujevac Clinical-Hospital Center are not taking part in the strike. In Nis, several hundred trade-union activists protested on the city's central square, demanding the withdrawal of the proposed law on labor and the resignation of Minister Milovanovic. Trade union representatives have announced a daily gathering on Nis' Liberation Square. At the Nis SSS, reporters were told that all the factories in Nis participated in the general strike today but that workers from every enterprise had not come to the protest and that they were supposed to join the protests on Liberation Square tomorrow. In Pirot, too, a street protest in which about 1,000 workers took part was organized. A blockade of the road toward the Yugoslav-Bulgarian border has been announced for tomorrow. Information from other cities is similar -- the trade unions claim that everyone is on strike, but many firms are operating. At Zdravlje in Leskovac, the BETA agency was told that that firm "was officially on strike but unofficially working because the production process does not tolerate stoppages." According to what has been announced, the trade union will continue the strike until the proposed law on labor is withdrawn from Assembly proceedings, and there is no possibility of the strike's termination if the government suggests amendments by means of which the controversial proposed law would be changed. The SSS strike committee rejected amendments as inadequate and called for the continuation of the strike. Miljenko Smiljanic, president of the Council of the Federation of Trade Unions, did not, however, rule out the possibility that the negotiations with Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic that began last night would continue. The strike is supposed to be halted and joint solutions found in agreement with the Serbian Government, Nezavisnost Vice President Milan Nikolic told BETA. He said that the trade unions would continue the negotiations with the demand that agreement be reached in a period of five to 30 days and that the threat of a strike remained during all that time. In contrast to the Federation of Trade Unions, the Nezavisnost UGS is not seeking the withdrawal of the proposed law on labor from Assembly proceedings but amendments and additions to it that would take trade unions demands into consideration.
