Support the Union in Yura Serbia

On Friday, the 7th of June, the Autonomous Metalworkers Trade Union of Serbia – Yura Corporation – Leskovac Chapter (Samostalni sindikat metalaca Srbije – Yura Corporation d.o.o. Rača – Ogranak Leskovac) commenced their planned series of warning strikes and stand-up strike in the fight for better wages and dignified working conditions.

The demands of the union are as follows:

1. A 20% pay raise from the current Serbian minimum wage.
2. The cessation of the punitive attendance bonus policy.
3. An increase in meal allowance from 250 RSD to 400 RSD.
4. An additional 5 million RSD per month to improve conditions in the company’s sanitary facilities (approximately 27 RSD per worker per day).

Yura Corporation employs more than 7 thousand workers in Serbia across three wire harnessing plants, with the Leskovac plant being the largest and where the union holds the strongest presence, with c. 30% of signed membership cards. Yura’s customers include European car factories such as Kia, Hyundai, Jaguar, Porsche, etc. Yura is the 9th biggest exporter in Serbia, with 394.3 million EUR of export in 2023. The Autonomous Metalworkers Trade Union of Serbia is the largest metalworkers union in Serbia, representing autoworkers, military industry employees, mining company workers, among others, and operating under the Confederation of the Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia.

The union emphasized that Serbian law considers the minimum wage as a temporary measure for companies to overcome difficulties, for up to six months. However, Yura has kept all of its shopfloor workforce on minimum wage since its establishment in Serbia over 13 years ago. Additionally, the Serbian government has conditioned public subsidies on raising the lowest wage in a company to 120% of the minimum wage—the level the union is demanding—and Yura has received subsidies in the past. The Serbian minimum wage is set per hour and amounts to approximately 400 EUR per month, while the proposed living wage typically amounts to at least double that sum. Official statistics also indicate that, on average, people on minimum wage allocate less than 1 EUR per month for education, while the majority of the factory workforce are parents who support their children’s education with their wages.

The punitive attendance bonus policy has become a common practice in Serbian industry. This policy revokes the bonus entirely for an employee if they are absent for a certain number of days (usually 1), or even in cases of being late, including sick leave and other absences to which workers are entitled, as well as not working overtime when required. Yura administers monthly, 3-monthly, and 6-monthly attendance bonuses, which in practice means that a worker cannot regain their right to the full attendance bonus for 6 months if they have taken sick leave.

The catalyst for the strikes at Yura was a new price increase in the canteen, combined with shrinking portions, as well as poor conditions in sanitary facilities. Importantly, the negotiating platform of the striking committee proposes that union representatives participate in allocating and overseeing extra funds for improving conditions in the sanitary facilities. The union declared a victory after the 60-minute strike on Friday. Participation in the strike was estimated at 50%, and the entire factory came to a standstill for the first hour of the shift. Workers gathered in the main hall of the factory, reiterated their demands, and the sound of their whistle-blowing was audible even on the street outside the factory.

In the three weeks that followed, the union organized a series of 60-minute and one-day strikes, with participation peaking at 80% during a round of negotiations.

But, negotiations, at times mediated by the Ministry of Labour, yielded no results. Yura employed procrastination tactics and kept questioning the lineup of the striking committee’s negotiating team, claiming that the union’s demands pertain only to a small minority of workers.

Meanwhile, the company administration utilized extralegal means to obstruct the strike. They prevented union representatives from moving freely and attempted to compel individual workers to provide written statements about the strike. Managers and team leaders pressured workers to disaffiliate from the union. The Autonomous Metalworkers Union of Serbia reported the case of coercing statements to the state labor inspection, requesting an urgent inspection audit.

Three weeks of these tactics led to a falling participation rate. The striking committee decided to end the strike on Wednesday, 26 June, rather than keep it as a minority strike. The negotiations between the state and Yura are still ongoing, and so is the management’s pressure on union members to return their cards.

The struggle of the Autonomous Metalworkers Trade Union of Serbia – Yura Corporation – Leskovac Chapter is a crucial moment for workers in Serbia and autoworkers on the outskirts of the European Union economy. We particularly emphasize the fight against the punitive attendance bonus policy, which extends beyond the borders of Serbia.

We invite you to support the union and its demands, while it recuperates for the next round of struggle. We would highly appreciate any financial aid, that will be distributed to those who took part in the strike and lost their daily wages and bonuses.