09.03.2020.

The President and the Supreme Commander Aleksandar Vučić visited “Krušik” in Valjevo

Vučić: Workers will have no problems with jobs or salaries

The President of the Republic and the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed forces, Aleksandar Vučić, visited “Krušik” in Valjevo today. The tour of “Krušik” was attended by the Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin.

The visit started with the meeting attended by Minister Vulin, the Chief of the General Staff Milan Mojsilović, the Director of the Security Information Agency Bratislav Gašić, the Minister of Finance Siniša Mali, the Director of “Krušik” Holding Company Vladan Lukić, representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Serbian Armed Forces and the Serbian defence industry. At the meeting, President Vučićs spoke to the management of “Krušik” about improving the factory’s operation.

The country is ready to invest a large amount of money in “Krušik” so that the factory can survive, Vučić said in his address to “Krušik” factory workers after the meeting, but the entire defence industry has to undergo serious and thorough reforms, especially “Zastava” and “Krušik”.

“We have dealt with ‘Krušik’ in the past few days and weeks, but also with the entire Serbian defence industry. We tried to analyse everything, to assess the global demand for our defence industry products. We have summoned representatives of all the factories to a meeting in Belgrade, estimating that about 11,500 employees are directly dependent, and more than 20,000 indirectly dependent on our decisions and the way we will manage our resources in the future”, said President Vučić.

He said that “Krušik” is not in an excellent situation today, especially in the eyes of the international public where the execution of certain contracts was immediately terminated, due to the lack of competence of various Krušik’s managements and its loss of reputation.

We have come to see how we can help “Krušik”. First of all, thorough reforms of the entire Serbian defence industry will have to be carried out, especially of “Krušik” and “Zastava” in Kragujevac – President Vučić pointed out.

As he emphasised, he did not have the opportunity to talk to the unions.

“I will talk to them in the next few days. I will call union representatives for additional talks, because the state is ready to invest a large amount of money so that you can survive and keep your jobs, but the money has to be spent responsibly. We need to have people who know what the future is, so that we don’t have to repeat the same story again in four months’ time. As far as you, workers, are concerned, you will have no problems with your salaries or jobs, but I kindly ask you to help your country, which is the owner of companies like this, by acting responsibly and thus justify your place on the market and the reason to exist”, said the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces.

Money cannot come to “Krušik” out of nowhere, the employees must earn it, President Vučić said, adding that the state will help them in doing so by paying suppliers, which will at the same time revive the entire defence industry.

“We will pay everyone for everything so that you can procure new materials and pay for them by signing new contracts, and not lag behind constantly. That is why we will have to reorganise the business, so that we can see how you can fully reform the company, turn it towards the market and focus more on profitable programmes and see how we can spend the least possible amount of money from the state treasury. Our goal is not to pump endless amounts of money into the company, but to earn money”.

President Vučić points out that he has no fear of responsibility and making difficult political decisions and that is why he has come to “Krusik” to tell the employees what the situation is in the company.

“Unfortunately, we, too, have failed to protect “Krušik”. We haven’t protected it from various rumours. Some of our competitors in the region started winning contracts instead of “Krušik” and we will certainly be facing this problem in the next year, a year and a half, besides all other issues that I have already spoken about. We are well aware of the fact that “Krušik” is the heart of Valjevo and the entire Kolubara district. “Krušik” employs 3,100 people who have families to support. I am glad that the average salary in January was 63,000 dinars, which is not in keeping with “Krušik’s” capabilities. Bear in mind that the salaries are so big due to enormous contributions by the state and not due to what has been earned”, President Vučić pointed out.

Without “Krušik”, Valjevo is not Valjevo, and if there was no “Krušik”, everyone would move to Belgrade or the rest of the world, said President Vučić, adding that it is important that people stay in Valjevo because that city is important for the survival and existence of the whole Serbia, which is why the state will keep investing heavily in “Krušik” and Valjevo.

“When I talk about large investments, I don’t mean hundreds of thousands of euros, but tens of millions of euros”, President Vučić emphasised.

Addressing the employees of the ”Krusik” factory, President Vučić asked for support and assistance, as well as responsibility and seriousness, because there are several issues in question: structural problems, a change in demand in the world, the number of employees and the amount of income.

“We can handle all that if we win enough contracts, but that is why we have to consider how to refocus production, towards which markets, who will be responsible for winning contracts. What is also important is that the Serbian Armed Forces will be buying a large number of products from you and are particularly interested in 128 mm and 155 mm calibre missiles, “Malyutka missiles”, helicopter rockets, especially since you earn more from selling rockets than the mortar programme”, President Vučić said, adding that the Serbian Armed Forces will pay “Krušik” 10 million euros for the new conract.

According to him, “Krušik” has a good future, but only if the employees work hard and responsibly and understand that the state budget is not an endless source of money that can be used, but that positive results must be achieved.

“We have learnt our lessons. We will have to change a lot of things ourselves, but we will therefore seek your help and support. In that case, I am certain that you and your children will have a safe future. We will not give up on the Serbian defence industry. We will not give up at any cost, although there are many in the world who would want that, because, when you do not have your own defence industry, you always depend on someone else. In that case, your safety, the safety of your children and everything else depends on someone else, whether they will, at some point, supply us with weapons, tools, ammunition, mines, grenades, rockets, etc. or not”, President Vučić said.

We live in such a place, the President of the Republic stressed, where it is important for us to be able to protect our country at any time.

“That is why the defence industry is one of our key industries and why we will not give up or allow “Krušik” to collapse. But I ask for your support and assistance, because we will not be able to do it without you. It will be much easier for you, the employees of “Krušik”, in forthcoming days, but I ask you not to relax, but to work even harder and more diligently, and we will do our best to involve competent people, people who will help find new contracts and markets and help you reach full working capacity before the end of this year”, President Vučić concluded.

President Vučić announced large purchases by the Serbian Armed Forces in the following period, giving the example of air-to-sufrace helicopter rockets “of which we now have almost enough”. There will be enough work for “Krušik” and for others, for our “NORAs”, “PASARS”, “Lazars”, announced the President and the Supreme Commander Aleksandar Vučić in Valjevo today.

In order to improve the production programme, new plants have been put into operation in Valjevo’s “Krušik” – a Plant for the production of artillery shell bodies (155 mm) in the Forging Centre and a new Plant for the production of boxer cartridge primers for shooting ammunition.