Part of the employees of the Railway Transport (ŽPCG) will talk to the Minister of Transport, Maja Vukićević, in order to solve the problems surrounding the annex to the employment contract, which have plagued this company in recent days.
As they claim, in case their demands are not met, they are ready to take more radical steps, i.e. to demand the resignation of the Board of Directors and the executive director of ŽPCG Dragana Lukšić.
This could be heard at the press conference, which the trade unionists scheduled on this occasion.
Two employees of ŽPCG were fired yesterday for not signing the annex to the employment contract, which prohibits them from working simultaneously in that company and competing companies. The deadline for signing the annex expires today or tomorrow for another 44 train drivers and car inspectors.
DON'T MISS IT
The General Secretary of the Union of Free Trade Unions, Srđa Keković, said that the situation is worrying, not only because of illegal dismissals, but also because of trains that are not running. He emphasized that they also wrote to the Ministry of Labor to conduct an urgent inspection in the ŽPCG regarding compliance with the Labor Law.
He pointed out that the employer cannot force the employee to accept the annex to the employment contract, and that he cannot fire him based on that.
"The management's statements were worrisome, we saw such behavior as irresponsible. It is up to us not to allow the management to succeed in illegal intentions," said Keković.
They are asking for the withdrawal of the annex
The president of the Unified Union of ŽPCG workers, Milan Usancevic, clarified that this morning they sent Vukićević an urgent letter requesting a meeting, and that the conversation is today or tomorrow.
"We are asking the management to withdraw the illegal annexes. We are asking that all the annexes be withdrawn and the dismissal decisions be cancelled, and if that is not the case, we will demand more radical measures already tomorrow, i.e. the resignation of the Board of Directors and the executive director," said Usancevic.
The President of the Trade Union Organization of Transport Train Drivers, Dejan Žarić, added that they addressed the management with a letter for a salary increase during the work of the former acting executive director Slavica Pavićević and asked for an increase in the basic salary, but that they were told that they would receive it as soon as the executive director in full term.
Lukšić was then elected in mid-October.
"We received an annex from the new executive director for her management, there was a request to increase the coefficients for their cost of labor from 12 to 15 percent. We decided that the salaries of the employees should be resolved first and then the rest, we refused that," he pointed out.
He emphasized that they were offended as professionals and by Lukšić's attitude that the workers were doing sabotage.
Miroslav Babović, a member of the Executive Board of the Unified Union of ŽPCG workers, stated that yesterday they had the opportunity to hear a series of untruths, and that the director accused the workers of being part of an obstruction and criminal group.
"We, who held ŽPCG on our backs, waited for them to call us those names. Two families were left without income and we are ready for all of us to remain without income, and I believe that the executive director insulted us with everything she said. This is legal fraud, "Someone is trying to force us to sign the annex on competition, which we are not obliged to do. The trains were canceled fifteen days before, and then no one dismissed us for the obstructions," he said he.
Keković also pointed out that the offer for the annex was made selectively, and that it was first given to train drivers and car inspectors in Podgorica, in order to intimidate those in other municipalities.
Car examiner Goran Matović also spoke to the media, who, as he stated, is not a member of the union and did not receive an annex.
Babović stated that 29 train drivers and 15 inspectors received the annex, and that today they can all be fired.
"It's a collapse of the system because there are no inspectors and train drivers at the labor bureau, let them ask themselves how the trains will be started," he emphasized and added that criminal charges will be sent to the management.
Žarić called on all institutions to get involved in the solution of the problem and make announcements, where they have committed violations at work. He stated that they should check whether something was done outside of the regulations, and if so, that they should report it and initiate disciplinary procedures.
"We did not receive a paper that no one did anything outside the regulations, of course we will demand responsibility from the director, the ministry and the government. Today we have come to the point that we cannot start any train with pressure and threats and everything that is unbecoming of running a company, the director is trying to create total chaos in ŽPCG," he emphasized.
Bonus video:
