Workers at the Zastava Automobili factory stated during the Monday protest that they do not accept the social program offered to them by the Serbian Ministry of Economy, and announced taking over the Kragujevac city assembly.

President of the Independent Trade Union Zoran Mihailovic said at the open trade union meeting, attended by several hundreds of workers, that the offered social program implies that 1,600 employees of the Zastava factory will lose their jobs by January 4, and that the Union does not accept such proposal.

The Independent Trade Union, Mihailovic said, demands that the workers remain at the factory for next year and a half, during which period they could find jobs at Fiat’s cooperators.

We do not want any money, we do not want any social aid, we want our jobs, we want to work, just as the government promised us before, Mihailovic stated.

He also added that the Union will Monday afternoon negotiate with the Ministry of Economy representatives, after which the workers will make some decisions regarding the further union activities.

The Serbian Ministry of Economy offered the workers at Zastava a social program of EUR 300 per each year of service, since they allegedly had not passed Fiat’s tests.