The Serbian railways halted on Friday the traffic of the international freight trains from Western and Central Europe, which travel along Corridor number 10 to Greece and Turkey, because of the one-week blockade of the Belgrade-Nis railway line in the Serbian town of Lapovo.

Terminating the transit via Serbia to Greece and Turkey will cost the Serbian Railways some RSD 5 million (RSD 95 = EUR 1) a day, which means that the direct and indirect damage from the transportation halt will total some RSD 15 million.

The management of the railways made the decision because of the large number of international freight trains waiting on the rail lines in Serbia for the traffic resumption.

At the beginning of the week the workers in the privatized construction company Prvi Maj in the Serbian town of Lapovo started a round-the-clock blockade of the Belgrade-Nis railway line as a sign of protest against the failure to comply with the agreement solving the company’s problems.

The workers threatened this time they will not lift the blockade until they are paid all their salaries. The owner of the company owes each worker between 10 and 12 monthly salaries.