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Strikes spreading in Serbia

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4 October, 2000Innumerable demonstrations and work stoppages are taking place against the backdrop of the regime's refusal to give up power.

SERBIA: The IMF is receiving daily updated reports concerning the situation in Serbia from the representative of the International Trade Union Center, in Montenegro, as well as from the trade union centers of Nezavisnost and the Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions.
Following the recent presidential election victory of Vojislav Kostunica, and the refusal of Slobodan Milosevic to step down from power, increasing numbers of non-violent demonstrations and strikes by the trade unions and civil society groups are spreading throughout Serbia.
The following list of strikes, preceded by the name of the town, has been made available to the IMF:
Cacak - all companies;
Trstenik - the Prva Petoletka factory and all other companies;
Kraljevo - Gvozdar, Magnohrom, Factory of Wagons, Jasen, Autotransport, the medical center and all secondary and primary schools;
Obrenovac - all companies;
Vranje - the schools and museums;
Belgrade - the IMT, Lola Corporation, Electrografit from Zemun, all public services, schools and university faculties;
Nis - all companies as well as the medical and clinical center;
Valjevo - all companies;
Kragujevac - the "Jagodina express", medical center, hospitals, pension insurance fund, all schools, part of Zastava (it is thought that cars made by Zastava blocked the traffic in front of the National Assembly and this kind of protest is expected also from Novi Sad);
Uzice - the copper factory "Sevojno", Prvi Partizan, public services, Zlatibor, Kadinjaca, markets, private companies, banks;
Novi Sad - all public services, markets, schools, university faculties, medical center, refinery, public transport works only few hours;
Sabac - all schools, the broker firm Nama, Zorka Farma, Jela;
Prokuplje - all companies except Hisar, the municipal and county court.
It has also been reported that even the Serbian government-controlled trade union has threatened to call a general strike.
There have been some arrests of trade unionists.