Trade Union: Fiat Does Not Intend to Work in Kragujevac, Inviting Workers to Slovakia

The president of the Association of the Autonomous Trade Unions of Kragujevac (SSSK), Jugoslav Ristic, estimated that the offer of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Serbia to workers in Kragujevac to go on a three-month engagement in Slovakia clearly shows that this company does not intend to work in Kragujevac and that the new model will not be produced there.

He told the Beta agency that, during the weekend as well, FCA was phoning workers to offer them to work at the car factory in Trnava, Slovakia.

– Furthermore, if they are not interested, they ask them about the reasons why, by which they violate their privacy. The workers who do not accept this offer usually cite family reasons, since these are primarily young people – Ristic said.

He pointed out that the trade union insisted for the decisions on whether to accept the offer to be on a voluntary basis exclusively.

– As far as the trade union is concerned, the legal basis for sending FCA workers to Slovakia is dubious. If it’s the law on sending workers to work abroad, then it should be noted that workers may only be sent to a factory whose owner or majority owner is the employer which is sending them there – Ristic said.

He explained that the car factory in Trnava, Slovakia, produced Peugeot and Citroen vehicles and added that this could be seen as the condition from said law not being fulfilled, although FCA can cite the Stellantis Group connection.

FCA Srbija Kragujevac

FCA Kragujevac

Stellantis

SSSK

Association of the Autonomous Trade Unions of Kragujevac

Jugoslav Ristić

sending workers to work abroad