Access blocked to Vietnamese workers allegedly exploited in Serbia: NGOs, 16 November 2021

The two NGOs have visited the construction site in Zrenjanin, a city in Serbia’s northern province of Vojvodina, where the Vietnamese workers are building a factory for the Shandong Linglong Tire company from China, which has been subsidised by the Serbian state and publicly praised by officials.

A11, an NGO dealing with violations of workers’ rights, said that private security men arrived at the construction site for a factory for Chinese tyre manufacturer Shandong Linglong Tire...and began blocking access to Vietnamese workers who have been the focus of exploitation allegations this...

The Vietnamese workers’ labour rights are being seriously violated and there are indications that they could be the victims of trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation, the NGOs have alleged.

ASTRA, Serbian anti-trafficking NGO, told...that the NGOs have informed the authorities about their concerns but have received no response so far.