After 35 years of working in the Kolubara mine, Goran Perišić lost his job because of a video published on January 1, 2025, where he wished a happy New Year from his workplace to students and employees in EPS-u.
"Dear students, I know there is no New one, because they still owe us for the old one as well." However, I would like you to persevere so that we all wait for the next year together in a better, fairer and free Serbia (…) I would like all this to the citizens of Serbia, to my colleagues from EPS", says Perišić in the video.
First, in January, he received a warning before being fired, due to non-compliance with the code of conduct and work discipline, and then on February 25, he was served with a notice of dismissal.
"I was fired because I wished the students to persevere in their demands and the workers of EPS, Kolubara and my third shift a happy New Year." That bothered them. Footage of the excavators appears on social media at every turn. I also published them before, but this one was a reason for them to remember the code of conduct, as they state there," says Perišić for "Vreme".
As stated in the explanation of the dismissal, which "Vreme" had access to, on December 31, 2024, during work in the third shift, in the premises of the "Tamnava Istočno Polje" Plant, he recorded objects with a mobile phone, for which he did not have the necessary permission, thereby acting contrary to the provisions of the Procedure on Internal Order, according to which it is forbidden to record and publicly publish recordings in objects and business premises without the permission of the Board of Directors. As it is added, on January 1, 2025, Perišić published the recording on the X social network, acting contrary to the provisions of the Code of Business Conduct.
"The content of the published video from the workplace in which support, promotion or representation of other needs of individuals and organizations whose activity is not related to the business of EPS AD is indicated as a violation of the public reputation of EPS AD, which in its behavior towards the public represents a neutral position and does not encourage its employees to provide support during working hours for activities that are not related to business", is stated in the termination decision.
I didn't contribute to the company's reputation with 35 years of service, but I ruined it in 45 seconds
Perišić, now a former employee of this company, has 60 days to file an appeal.
"I have no words for this, as a person I am hurt, I am hurt as a worker, I have no words to describe how I feel. I have 35 years of experience. My management and my superiors have no objection to my work. I have never been punished, reprimanded, kicked out of the workplace. I contributed to this company for 35 years, when it was the hardest, no one ever got fired for something like I got. They generally do not respect my seniority, nor my contribution to that company", says Perišić.
He adds that he does not consider the publication of the video content to be a mistake and thinks that it is a political dismissal.
"They didn't take into account my 35 years of flawless work experience, without a stain of any kind, it was simply a decision made from the top." And the legal service of EPS was against my dismissal. I did not cause any damage to the reputation of the company, as they state there. I caused damage with a 45-second clip, and for 35 years I did not contribute to the reputation of the company through work and commitment. This is not even a minor violation of work discipline, this is banal and ridiculous, I have no words to describe what they saw as my mistake," he says.
He adds that he was not informed of the aforementioned code of conduct, and that apart from him, several other relatives received a warning before being fired.
Let us remind you that Dragoslav Ljubičić was one of the first to be fired from the Electric Power Company of Serbia after the protest of unions, employees and students in front of the EPS building.
