Deindustrijalizacija i radnički otpor - Pokret za slobodu

On 28 December 2007, Šinvoz’s worker-shareholders occupiedtheir factory, demanding from the government a termination of thecontract and an investigation into Šinvoz’s debts (incurred as we havealready seen to TTC Logistic, Jugopapir and a few other firms ownedby Ivković). A few days prior to the occupation, Jugoremedija, Šinvoz,BEK and workers at a number of other Zrenjanin factories, formed thelocal political movement ‘Pokret RAVNOPRAVNOST’ (i.e. the EQUAL-ITY Movement).On 15 January 2008, around 1,000 worker-shareholders fromŠinvoz and BEK led a protest down to Belgrade's Union Hall, demandingthe termination of the Šinvoz privatization deal and an agreementwith the government about how both companies can get out of bankruptcy.During the night, between January 15th and 16th, 40 year-oldŠinvoz worker Radislav Stojanov died of a heart attack during a sit-inprotest.After the Belgrade media reported that a worker had died during theprotest, Serbia’s Minister of Economy Mlađan Dinkić called a specialmeeting with the workers’ representatives. At the press conference thatfollowed the meeting, the Minister publically stated that: “It is obviousthat the majority owner deliberately placed Šinvoz into bankruptcy.”Dinkić also announced that his Ministry would investigate how the PAhad regulated Ivković’s fulfillment of the privatization contract, andthat he was going to initiate a police investigation into the way Šinvozwent bankrupt. “It doesn’t take long to establish all those facts,” theMinister said, “and we will try to act as fast as possible, because Serbianeeds such production and those products can be exported too!”On 31 January 2008, the PA terminated its contract with Ivković onthe basis of the same arguments they had been ignoring since 2005 –i.e. that Ivković worked to forge and sabotage the investment.Since March 2008, the EQUALITY Movement and the Zrenjaninbranch of the Autonomous Unions of Serbia have been organizing aSolidarity Fund for the Šinvoz workers, to help them to survive duringthis struggle. The Šinvoz workers haven’t received any payment sinceIvković halted production in February 2007.During the remainder of 2008, the PA has failed to launch any proceedingsagainst Ivković for fraud and deliberate bankruptcy. The PAthus refuses to exercise its jurisdiction over such matters or, in accordingwith Article 41d from the Law on Privatization, to appoint a representativeof public capital for Šinvoz following the termination of thecontract with Ivković.331