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27 February, 2003The company has fired 12 members of the IMF-affiliated GSM Nezavisnost.
SERBIA: The IMF's affiliate, GSM Nezavisnost, reports that violations of trade union rights in Serbia are continuing since October 5, 2000, when the country's authorities officially opted for the respect of human rights.
Such violations are particularly the case at the tractor maker IMT in Novi Beograd. The minister of labour and employment, Dragan Milovanovic, who is chairman of the company's board of directors, has abused his office and terminated the employment of 12 trade union activists of GSM Nezavisnost.
In a letter to the Serbian prime minister, Zoran Djindjic, IMF general secretary Marcello Malentacchi has reminded him that trade union rights are incorporated in the ILO's conventions and that it is the duty of the ILO and UN member states to respect these rights.
"We protest in the strongest terms against such behavior, such an anti-worker, anti-trade union attitude of your government," writes Malentacchi, "and we lend our full support to our colleagues in the GSM Nezavisnost. For the purpose of protecting our members, we will be obliged to undertake certain action and will inform the ILO, the Council of Europe and our trade union affiliates about this."