After 14 years, the Benetton plant in Niš is closing, and the workers have learned that they will be out of work for the next months and that production will last until April. They do not have any guarantee about the payment of severance pay, apart from the management's promise
The worker, who has been employed at Benetton in Niš for many years, tells "Vreme" that they received information from the management that they will be paid severance pay, but that there is no written guarantee for that.
"Now they have sold us the story that they will give us 60 percent of the salary for each year spent at work. That would be some kind of severance pay, but we do not have any written guarantee for that." Everything remains on a verbal promise", says our interlocutor.
Forced vacation, then Bureau
Workers will be successively laid off until April. Depending on the nature of the work and the workplace where they were, some employees are already on forced leave. Others remain in the factory and at their workplaces for another month or two. After that, they will also be on forced leave, which will be paid, and can last a maximum of 45 days. After all deadlines have expired, the contract will be officially terminated.
"We have no way to fight for any guarantee." We are not represented by any legal representative. There was never a union in Benetton, for everything someone needed, there had to be some connection", he claims.
It is not certain whether these workers will be able to find a job, because no one from Benetton's management has said a word to them about the possibility of moving to another factory.
The mayor, however, mentioned it as an option.
"What the mayor said, no one from Benetton offered us." I know people who had a fixed-term contract, and whose contract expired at the end of last year. Nobody extended their contracts because they knew it would come to this."
Former employees who left then, as our interlocutor claims, are still looking for work through the Employment Bureau.
With the closure of the plant of this Italian factory, between 900 and 1.000 Nišli people will lose their jobs in the next two months.
What does the mayor promise?
The information that the Benetton textile factory in Niš is closing was confirmed by the mayor of Niš, Dragan Pavlović. He pointed out that he will not stand aside and will actively deal with this big problem.
"In the next few months, it will be possible to offer these people adequate replacements and jobs in other companies." I believe that the labor force is needed in Niš and I am sure that other companies will offer adequate jobs for those people who are left without jobs", said Pavlović for Južne vesti.
Pavlović also stated that the city authorities received an assurance from the company that they will act responsibly towards the employees.
"Namely, everything that belongs to them by law, which is the payment of wages, will be respected." And what we can do as the Republic and the City of Niš is that people are accepted on the records of the National Employment Service and that, in accordance with the program that the service has, they will receive certain financial benefits in accordance with the years of service and in accordance with the amount of income", said the mayor of Niš.
Pavlović announced that in the coming period, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with the NES and the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, they will prepare measures that will ease the unfavorable status of all those people who worked at Benetton.
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