Untitled Document

NEWS

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE DIRECTOR AND EMPLOYEES OF ‘’GOSA FOM’’ AND THE PUBLIC OF SMEDEREVSKA PALANKA
UNIONIST ACTION FOR ‘’SAFETY IN THE FACTORY’’

Smederevska Palanka, September 12, 2007
The endeavors of the ‘’Nezavisnost’’ Trade Union of ‘’GOSA FOM’’ to impose work discipline, order and responsibility in the company with full observance of statutory regulations, have been ignored by the executive management of ‘’GOSA FOM’’. The problems associated with payment of earnings, employee transport, different employee status, those who are shareholders and who are not, were especially present in the area of job safety which is on an unacceptably low level in ‘’GOSA FOM’’. A confirmation of this assertion is frequent employee injuries, non-existence and non-observance of safety measures and procedures, not reporting some employee injuries, as well as the non-existence of the C.A. in the area of job safety and industrial hygiene, seriously affect safety and health of ‘’GOSA FOM’’ employees. The most affected category are employees with limited working abilities, disabled workers, who have often been offered jobs that they must not and cannot perform.

When one points to those occurrences to ‘’GOSA FOM’’ Management, an unprofessional, arrogant reply can be heard that we should sue the company. Our trade union uses such a possibility and we are trying to protect all employees through preventive acting and indicating the non-observance of the law. The latest act of the ‘’GOSA FOM’’ director, Srđan Dimitrijevic, is associated with the ‘’Decision on instituting the procedure for risk assessment on the job.’’ This decision itself would be supported by our union provided that it was really made in conformity with the law and that this assessment was made by experts and competent persons. There is no individual in the ‘’expert team’’ who has a license for performing the activities concerning job safety and IH, and thereby no one can perform a risk assessment on the job. The fact that there are no employee representatives in the ‘’expert team’’ gives rise to concern and the law provides such a possibility. The anticipated terms for presenting a comprehensive plan for inspection and approval by August 31, 2007 are absolutely unrealistic, as well as a risk assessment that has to be completed by September 8, 2007, regarding that the ‘’Decision on instituting the procedure for risk assessment’’ was made on July 30, 2007. In the meantime, there have been much more injuries on the job and they are, unfortunately, more serious and the employer’s arrogance more expressed.

Our Union plans to initiate a unionist action under the motto ‘’For safe work in the factory’’ with the intention to point out the fact that health and safety are a very important area for consideration and that we won’t allow workers, employees of ‘’GOSA FOM’’ to experience their coming to work as entering a ‘’mine field’’, says Dragan Matic, President of MWBU ‘’Nezavisnost’’ at the end of the open letter sent to the director and employees of ‘’GOSA FOM’’ and the public of Smederevska Palanka.

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