ᗩGEᑎT ᑭᖇOᐯOᑕᗩTEᑌᖇ

SERBIA'S POST-ELECTION ECONOMIC REALITY: FACTORY CLOSURES, 1,483 JOBS AT RISK AND THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES FACING UNCERTAINTY. WHERE IS THE PLAN? While Serbia's political debate is consumed by election victories, political revenge, accusations and ideological arguments, something much more important is happening to ordinary working people. Serbia's industrial workforce is facing another serious shock. Let's look at the factories, the numbers and the people behind them which have closed since the October 25th election results for the unknown, unproved and unpredictable Student List. 1. VALY TEXTILE – VALJEVO: 737 WORKERS AFFECTED On October 28, the Italian-owned Golden Lady Group officially confirmed plans to shut down its production facility in Valjevo. The factory has operated since 2001. It employs predominantly women and has been an important employer in the region for 25 years. The company says it intends to consolidate production in Loznica, citing falling European demand, reduced Russian sales and rising industrial and energy costs. The National Employment Service has been contacting employers in the surrounding region. Approximately 330 potential vacancies have reportedly been identified, while 713 production workers are included in the employment-reduction process. Think about that. Hundreds of people who have spent years working in this factory now face the prospect of finding another livelihood. Source: N1, October 28; Euronews Serbia, November 3. 2. KAIZEN TEXTILE – SMEDEREVO: APPROXIMATELY 350 WORKERS On October 21, the Turkish-owned textile manufacturer Kaizen initiated liquidation proceedings. Approximately 350 employees are affected. Workers were reportedly placed on paid leave and subsequently informed that they would need to sign dismissal documents. The company's documentation cited the lack of economic justification for continuing operations. This is another manufacturing employer disappearing from a Serbian industrial city. Source: RTS, October 22. 3. ASTER TEXTILE – NIŠ: 396 WORKERS On November 3, news broke that Aster Textile in Niš is scheduled to close on December 15. Approximately 396 workers are facing unemployment. There is an especially troubling dimension to this story. Aster was previously presented as an employer that would provide opportunities for workers displaced following the collapse of Benetton's operations in Niš. Now Aster itself is preparing to close. Think about the human consequences. Families who believed they had found employment stability are once again facing uncertainty. Source: N1, November 3. THE COMBINED NUMBERS These three cases represent approximately: • Valy: 737 workers affected. • Kaizen: 350 workers affected. • Aster: 396 workers facing unemployment. That is 1,483 jobs affected or at risk across three factories. These are announced employment impacts, not 1,483 confirmed completed redundancies. The precise number of people who will ultimately secure alternative employment remains to be seen. But the scale of the problem cannot be ignored. AND THIS IS NOT THE ENTIRE STORY. Serbia has already experienced major industrial employment losses. Consider Leoni, which ended production at its Malošište facility in 2025, affecting approximately 1,900 employees. Benetton's departure from Niš was another major blow to the local industrial workforce. There are also growing questions about employment reductions and the future of other manufacturing operations. This is precisely why Serbia needs to take industrial development seriously. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A FACTORY CLOSES? Politicians often talk about unemployment as though it is simply a statistic. It isn't. When 396 people lose their jobs in Niš, the consequences extend far beyond those 396 employment contracts. • Families lose their primary or supplementary income. • Household consumption declines. • Local retailers, restaurants and service businesses lose customers. • Municipalities face pressure on local economic activity and revenues. • Experienced workers risk losing years of accumulated industrial skills. • Young people become increasingly convinced that their future lies outside their hometowns or outside Serbia. And when several major employers disappear within a relatively short period, the damage can compound. A factory is not just a building with machinery. It is an entire economic ecosystem involving suppliers, transport companies, maintenance contractors, local businesses and families. NOW COMES THE POLITICAL QUESTION. Serbia has just gone through an election and a major political transition. Some of these employment decisions were initiated before election day. Others were announced afterward. We should not pretend that the election itself caused every closure. Companies have cited market demand, costs, restructuring and commercial viability. But that does not absolve political leaders of responsibility for finding solutions. If the incoming political leadership believes it has a mandate to reshape Serbia, then it must also explain how it intends to protect the country's productive economy. Where is the industrial strategy? Where is the plan to attract sustainable manufacturing investment? What happens to the workers in Valjevo, Smederevo and Niš? What happens to the communities that depend on these employers? And what guarantees will workers receive that the next factory opening will not simply become another subsidised operation that disappears a few years later? MY BIGGER CONCERN IS THE INVESTMENT ENVIRONMENT. Investors make decisions based on predictable rules, economic conditions, political stability, labour costs, energy prices and the ability to operate profitably. Serbia cannot afford an environment in which businesses are uncertain about the future, workers are uncertain about their employment and politicians are more interested in fighting one another than presenting a credible economic programme. The incoming leadership must understand something very simple: Capital has no political loyalty. Investment follows opportunity, stability and returns. If Serbia wants to retain capital, it must create conditions in which businesses want to remain, expand and employ people. AND HERE IS MY QUESTION TO THE STUDENT LIST LEADERSHIP AND EVERYONE SEEKING POLITICAL POWER IN SERBIA: You have spent years telling citizens that you want a different future for Serbia. Fine. But what is your economic programme? What is your industrial policy? How will you protect existing jobs, attract new investment and create sustainable employment? What specifically will you do for the 1,483 workers affected by these three factory decisions? Because political slogans do not pay mortgages. Political victories do not put food on the table. And ideological arguments do not replace a monthly salary. SERBIA DOES NOT JUST NEED A CHANGE IN POLITICAL LEADERSHIP. IT NEEDS AN ECONOMIC STRATEGY THAT DELIVERS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY KEEP THIS COUNTRY RUNNING. Workers deserve answers. Families deserve stability. And Serbia deserves an economic future beyond political promises. Sources to attach to the post N1 – Valy confirms closure of its Valjevo facility, October 28. n1info.rs/vesti/valy-doo-pla… Euronews Serbia – Employment Service seeks jobs for Valy workers, November 3. euronews.rs/biznis/biznis-ve… RTS – Kaizen liquidation and approximately 350 affected workers, October 22. rts.rs/lat/vesti/ekonomija/6… N1 – Aster Textile closure, 396 workers, November 3. n1info.rs/biznis/fabrika-ast… Tanjug – Aster Textile closure confirmation. tanjug.rs/ekonomija/srbija/2…