South Korean Firm Urges Serbian Workers to Leave Self-Isolation

Predrag Stojanovic, the union leader at the Yura Corporation factory in Leskovac in southern Serbia, told BIRN that the company has asked dozens of workers to return to their jobs a day after sending them home to self-isolate on Monday because they were in contact with infected colleagues.

"They only spent one day in self-isolation although 28 or at least 14 days is prescribed, depending on the assessment. People came to work yesterday [Wednesday] because they are afraid of losing their job. The situation is critical," Stojanovic told BIRN.

Several workers at the factory also told BIRN that their employer is not respecting all the safety measures set by the state's Crisis Committee for Combating Infection.

They claimed that the company, which produces electronic parts for the global automotive industry, is not following rules on physical distancing between workers, or hygiene standards in the factory, as well as instructions that those who have been in contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19 should self-isolate.

The mayor of Leskovac, Goran Cvetanovic, who is also the commander of the Emergency Situations Headquarters in the town, told local media on Wednesday that he is not satisfied with people returning to work from self-isolation so early, but did not go into further details.

Union leader Stojanovic said that after the mayor's statement, the Yura management decided that some workers could continue to self-isolate while calling others back to the factory.

"They picked three people to go back to self-isolation from each production line, which has ten workers each. But it is not enough. We already don't have the two-meter prescribed two-metre physical distance," he said.

According to the Department of...