Workers of Nibens Group road construction companies launched a protest in Belgrade on Tuesday demanding solution to problems of these companies awash in debt.

Milan Jovanovic, head of the Nibens branch of the Beograd road construction worker's union, told Tanjug that these companies will not be able to clean roads during the coming winter season unless the state provides them with necessary equipment.

Jovanovic said that the companies of the Nibens Group - Nis, Vranje, Kragujevac, Beograd and Vojvodina-Backaput, take care of about 30 percent of the road network in Serbia during winter.

The group of about 50 workers will soon be joined by more colleagues, and about 300 of them will go to the Serbian government building where they will stay until their requests are met, he said.

Workers of the Nibens Group demand to have their accounts unfrozen, back salaries compensated and continuous operation of the company secured.

The Niebens Group owes around EUR 130 million to banks, while the total amount of its debt amounts to EUR 170 million.