Tobacco industry "Niš" dismissed one third of employees

Tobacco industry "Niš" (DIN) dismissed 306 workers yesterday (September 7, 2009), which is nearly one third of total number of employees.

The Management of DIN announced that the major number of workers who were left without job had not been working in production sector, but in auxiliary services, and that the average severance pay amounted to about 1.5m RSD per employee.

Most of the dismissed workers are disappointed with the action of the Management, and they pointed out that they had not expected to be laid off by the successful multinational company.

The President of the Trade Union of Tobacco Workers of the Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions, Dejan Janićijević, said that the factory's management had decided to issue decisions on termination of employment contracts to the dismissed workers at different times because they had wanted to avoid "possible gatherings and workers' protests" yesterday.

- Legal period of 90 days for possible complaints of dismissed workers started on September 8th, and we will see in the next few days if there is going to be any - said Janićijević.

He added that the dismissed workers would be paid severance pays, and that they would get salary for August on September 10th.