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17 Serbian workers deported from Plantaze

Because of this treatment, workers contacted Serbian Embassy in Podgorica for help, which contacted the company that replied that seasonal workers were returned to their home country because of the lack of working permits. 

Worker from Krusevac, Goran Zivkovic was deported on 30th of July to Serbia, and the document says that police and labour inspection found him working on Cemovsko polje plantations without a working permit. He didn’t have the work permit, but on that they he didn’t even go to the vineyard, but spent the day in the sleeping room because he had a day off. He suspects that 17 workers were sacrificed so that they would keep other 80 workers who also don’t have work permits. 

“The document that I was given says that I entered Montenegro on 15th of July when I registered, but also that I was caught working without the permit. It is true that I did work, but it is not that they caught me working without the permit because I was in a sleeping room when my boss called me and said to report to the police. So, the police didn’t find me, I went to the police, only to find out that they were going to restrain me from entering Montenegro. I don’t have a problem with the fact that I was forbidden to work without the permit, but I do mind that I was forbidden to enter Montenegro for three months, because I have people I care about there”, said Zivkovic for Dan. 

He says that police told them that they only need to go to border to get the stamp, while “Plantaze” told them that they will receive the money they earned and that their transport expenses will be covered. 

“17 of us were put on the bus, returned to Serbia and received the same punishment. This is really unbelievable. We spoke to Embassy of Serbia in Podgorica which contacted “Plantaze”, and from the company was said that we cannot stay in the country because we don’t have work permits”, says Zivkovic. 

As Olivera Popovic said for Dan, one of the seasonal workers from Nova Varos, she and her colleagues were invited to give a statement in the police on 30th of July, but instead of giving any statements they were put on a bus and sent to Serbia. She says that she already worked on Plantaze in previous years, and that she never had any problems until this year, when she was invited to work. 

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