[imc-italy] appello di una fabbrica occupata in serbia (da andrej grubacic)

[blicero]

mi chiede di girarlo anche in liste internazionali...

Urgent worker run factory appeal

Dear friends,

We, the workers of Jugoremedija, a worker-owned and run factory in
Serbia, urgently need your help.

We have been in an ongoing struggle to run our workplace ourselves.
Similar to some of the struggles in Argentina to recuperate
workplaces, our desire is to work, make decisions collectively that
effect our work and livelihoods, and run our own lives.

For over two years we have fought the privatization of our work place,
we have been fired after striking and occupying the factory, and now,
finally, we are on the edge of a victory.  We are partial legal owners
of the factory, and want to begin to work in our democratically run
factory under worker control.  The other part owner, and person
attempting to buy the whole factory, is now trying to reorganize the
factory so that we will not be able to have a work place any longer.
He wants to divide it into pieces and have the work done elsewhere.
This will take away our workplace and work.

Please sign the below letter to help support our struggle.
For more background and information please see our attached history or
for Serbian go to www.jugoremedija2.com

Timing is URGENT! The court meets Monday, so please sign today.
Please put your full name and any organization, union, or group that
you are affiliated with to:

djuranovic.stevo at trgovinski.sud.bg.srbija.yu

radojcic.eleonora at trgovinski.sud.zr.srbija.yu

officempriv at mpriv.sr.gov.yu

office at sec.sr.gov.yu

vida.uzelac at crhov.co.yu

info at priv.yu

registar at apr.sr.gov.yu

udruzenjeakcionara at beotel.yu

(subject line: "Jugoremedija")

Attn.

BELGRADE ECONOMIC COURT
ZRENJANIN ECONOMIC COURT - Radoslava Ugrinov, President
MINISTRY OF ECONOMY - Predrag Bubalo, Minister
THE SECURITIES COMMISSION - Milko Stimac, President
CENTRAL SECURITIES DEPOSITORY - Vida Uzelac, CEO
PRIVATIZATION AGENCY - Miodrag Djordjevic, Director
SERBIAN BUSINESS REGISTERS AGENCY ? Dragisa Okolisanov, Director


To whom it may concern,

I write this letter in support of the continued protection of the
pharmaceutical factory Zrenjanin ("Jugoremedija"), a factory that is
democratically co-owned by the workers.

I write to support the courts decisions to protect both the workers
and the democratic process of the worker-shareholders. In two
different lawsuits, courts in Serbia have found that Jovica
Stefanovic, the buyer in the privatization process of "Jugoremedija"
broke his contract with the state. He did this in an attempt to
prevent the workers from having a democratic role in their own
workplace. After four years, both privatization and recapitalization
contracts were cancelled by Serbian courts. Jovica Stefanovic is now
attempting to change the factories ownership structure before it's
legal owners, the workers, have a chance to call for an assembly of
shareholders and decide what they want to do with his role as
management.

There appears to be a past practice of illegal maneuvers by Jovica
Stefanovic, including, forcefully removing the workers from their own
factory, illegally firing the two hundred workers, who are also
co-owners, attempting to sub contract the work of the factory without
the say of the workers, and now this latest attempt to reorganize the
structure of the company to prevent the workers from having their
rightful democratic role.

I wholly support the bringing of an injunction that would prevent
Stefanovic from founding new companies with the shares of
"Jugoremedija", or taking any other action against the workers, and
against the democratic process, before the meeting of the assembly of
shareholders.

Yours sincerely,

HISTORY OF THE STRUGGLE

      Serbian pharmaceutical factory "Jugoremedija", from the town of
Zrenjanin, was privatized in 2000, in such a way that 58% of the shares
were given to the workers, and the state took 42%. In 2002, the state
sold it's shares to Jovica Stefanovic, an infamous local capitalist, who
made his fortune smuggling cigarettes, and who was wanted by Interpol at
the time he bought the shares of "Jugoremedija". As all the other buyers
in Serbian privatization, Stefanovic was not even investigated in money
laundering, because the Serbian Government's position at that time was,
and still is, that it's better to have dirty money in privatization,
than to let workers manage the company, because that will ``bring us
back to the dark days of self-management''.

Allow us to give you a little context.

      The first attack on Yugoslav self-management happened before the
break up of socialist Yugoslavia. The first organized attempt to
dismantle the system of self-management in Serbia dates back to the
times of Slobodan Milosevic. But the real full-blown process of
privatization and curtailment of workers rights happen after Milosevic
was sent to the Hague Tribunal.  In this context in transitional Serbia
of the 21st century, with the transition to capitalism and parliamentary
democracy, everything became allowed in the fight against what the new
neoliberal government saw as the ``ideological monster of self
management'' - even if it means the government and the court break laws.

Breaking all the rules, the state allowed the new co-owner of
Jugoremedija, Stefanovic to become the dominant owner of the factory.
Through various illegal maneuvers the ownership structure was changed:
Stefanovic was given 68% of the shares and the workers portion was
reduced to 32%. 

In December 2003 the workers began a strike, and factory occupation, as
well as a lawsuit against the recapitalization. This was the first work
place occupation in the post socialist Yugoslavia!

In May 2004 the state, pressed by the workers, investigated
privatization of "Jugoremedija" found that Stefanovic's investment was
in violation of the contract. 

The state did nothing to enforce the violation of the contract. In
response the workers, mainly women, came to the capital, Belgrade, and
occupied the state's Privatization Agency for one whole day. Only after
this occupation did the state begin to take the violation seriously.
Meanwhile the factory occupation continued.

During summer of 2004, Stefanovic's private army tried several times to
take over the factory, but the workers, with breathtaking courage,
kicked them out. Sometimes using their bodies to block the military
vehicles. This kept the boss out. ... but he returned ...

 In September 2004, the private army was joined by the Serbian police,
who had the order to evict the workers from "Jugoremedija". Police and
the private army forced their way into the factory, resulting in the
hospitalization of many workers and the arrest of four of the leaders of
the strike. The workers were then charged with disturbing the peace.
Criminal proceedings are still taking place.  Now that he physically
emptied the factory he illegally fired the two hundred workers.

After participating in a Peoples Global Action conference in Belgrade,
in August of 2004, workers from "Jugoremedija" joined with workers from
other factories to form the Union of Workers and Shareholders of Serbia.
At first the Union's mission was limited to fighting against corruption
in privatization, but after experiencing different aspects of Serbian
privatization, the Union came out with another demand - the call for a
constituent assembly. They believe that the people should make the
decisions that effect their lives and work places, and a new
constitution can help make this happen. Graffiti appeared on the walls
of Belgrade asking, `` Who owns our factories?'' 

      Although without jobs for two years, the workers of "Jugoremedija"
refused to quit. Their militancy and creative direct actions made them a
symbol of resistance to neoliberal capitalism in Serbia. 

Finally, as a response to a series of direct and legal actions, in May
2006 the Serbian Supreme Court reached the decision that
recapitalization was in violation of the contract, and ordered Zrenjanin
Economic Court to re-open the case. Last Friday, Zrenjanin Economic
Court brought ownership structure back to 58%-42%.

According to Serbian law, workers-shareholders need three weeks to call
for an assembly of all shareholders, in order to appoint their
management. Stefanovic needs to be prevented from dividing up the
company, and a court injunction would allow the workers to
democratically decide who manages their factory, and how.


Attn.

BELGRADE ECONOMIC COURT

ZRENJANIN ECONOMIC COURT - Radoslava Ugrinov, President

MINISTRY OF ECONOMY - Predrag Bubalo, Minister

THE SECURITIES COMMISSION - Milko ?timac, President

CENTRAL SECURITIES DEPOSITORY - Vida Uzelac, CEO

Miodrag ?or?evi?, Director

SERBIAN BUSINESS REGISTERS AGENCY - Dragi?a Okoli?anov, Director

To whom it may concern,

I write this letter in support of the continued protection of the
pharmaceutical factory Zrenjanin (``Jugoremedija''), a factory that is
democratically co-owned by the workers. 

I write to support the courts decisions to protect both the workers and
the democratic process of the worker-shareholders. In two different
lawsuits, courts in Serbia have found that Jovica Stefanovic, the buyer
in the privatization process of ``Jugoremedija'' broke his contract with
the state. He did this in an attempt to prevent the workers from having
a democratic role in their own workplace. After four years, both
privatization and recapitalization contracts were cancelled by Serbian
courts. Jovica Stefanovic is now attempting to change the factories
ownership structure before it's legal owners, the workers, have a chance
to call for an assembly of shareholders and decide what they want to do
with his role as management.

There appears to be a past practice of illegal maneuvers by Jovica
Stefanovic, including, forcefully removing the workers from their own
factory, illegally firing the two hundred workers, who are also
co-owners, attempting to sub contract the work of the factory without
the say of the workers, and now this latest attempt to reorganize the
structure of the company to prevent the workers from having their
rightful democratic role.

I wholly support the bringing of an injunction that would prevent
Stefanovic from founding new companies with the shares of
``Jugoremedija'', or taking any other action against the workers, and
against the democratic process, before the meeting of the assembly of
shareholders. 

Yours sincerely,



----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
blicero

- don't mourn, organize. - j.h. (IWW)