economy
February 11, 2026
A Grim Fight for Life
Foreign workers are exploited by everyone in the chain: agencies in their home countries, large companies, foreign investors, and local businessmen – both small and large. The experiences of workers employed at Linglong confirm this thesis.
TL;DR
- Foreign workers in Serbia, including those at the Linglong tire factory, are exploited by a chain of intermediaries, from agencies in their home countries to large companies and local businessmen.
- Workers from Bangladesh and Egypt have reported issues such as unpaid wages, confiscation of passports, poor living conditions, and threats, with recruitment often involving significant debt.
- Activists from the Zrenjaninski Social Forum are supporting affected workers, but express skepticism about the effectiveness of local institutions in addressing these violations.
- Serbian laws, such as the Law on Agency Employment, are criticized for not limiting the number of agency workers a company can hire and for limiting the rights of these workers, including union membership and the right to strike.
- The article suggests that the exploitation of foreign workers could foreshadow the future for Serbian workers due to flexible employment laws and a shortage of domestic labor.
- The US has blocked tire imports from Linglong due to forced labor allegations, including document retention, threats, unpaid wages, and exploitative living and working conditions, though Linglong denies responsibility and local prosecutors have not initiated an investigation due to a lack of evidence presented to them.
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