Chinese auto parts manufacturer Mei Ta, based in Barič, Serbia, has laid off nearly 300 workers just before the holiday season. This move comes after the company previously received state subsidies for employing local workers. Now, there are concerns that these local workers will be replaced by cheaper foreign labor in the near future.
According to N1 reports, the layoffs were announced just six days before the end of the year, leaving many workers shocked and uncertain about their futures. Nevena Vasić, one of the dismissed employees, shared her distress, saying, “I am a single mother of three children, my husband passed away, and I lost my job. What comes next? We don’t know. The money we were supposed to receive yesterday hasn’t been paid, and it wasn’t paid today either. They didn’t meet the deadline or the agreement. This is a disgrace.”
A total of 299 workers are no longer employed at the factory, as confirmed by the company. In response to the layoffs, many former employees gathered in front of the factory in protest. They claim that their positions will be filled by workers from other countries, specifically India.
One of the workers, Elma Ametović, expressed frustration, saying, “We were replaced by people from India. I believe this is not good for our country. We don’t have rights here, while people from other countries have more rights than us. And if I’m redundant, then so is he.”
The situation is clear: Mei Ta, like other foreign investors in Serbia, received subsidies from the government with the understanding that they would create jobs for local workers. Now, with the layoffs, it seems that the company is focusing on cutting costs, possibly by replacing Serbian workers with cheaper foreign labor.
Ivana Jovanović, another former employee, shared her experience, stating, “I received a message just seven days before the end of the year that my employment would be terminated on December 31. I was on permanent employment, but I was let go due to a work injury and sick leave.”
While the company maintains that the layoffs were necessary to “optimize resources” and remain competitive in the market, this explanation offers little comfort to the laid-off workers.
For many of the dismissed employees, like Nevena Vasić, the consequences are dire. “My children won’t ask me, ‘Mom, can you buy us bread and milk?’ What should I buy them now? I’ve lost my job,” she said, summing up the struggle that so many workers are facing this holiday season.
