Protests in Serbia Archive
Odraz B92 Daily News Service

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service

    Odraz B92 vesti (by 10 PM), February 17, 1997

    E-mail: odrazb92@b92.opennet.org, beograd@siicom.com
    WWW:    http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/, http://www.opennet.org/b92/
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    All texts are Copyright 1997 Radio B92. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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    NEWS BY 10 PM
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    TEACHERS STILL OUT

    Head of the Education Trade Union and coordinator of the
    negotiating delegation of teachers on strike, Jagos Bulatovic, on
    Monday said that the strike would continue, Radio B92 reports. Mr.
    Bulatovic said that he was shocked by the signing of an agreement
    on teachers' demands, between the Government and the Autonomous
    Trade Union. ``The main culprits for the current situation are the
    Serbian government and its Ministry for Education,'' said Mr.
    Bulatovic. A new session of the Trade Union Board has been
    announced for Tuesday and a new protest rally of striking teachers
    will begin on Wednesday at noon.


    GOVERNMENT LASHES STRIKERS

    The Serbian Government and the Serbian Alliance of Trade Unions on
    Monday said that the continuing strike ``by some education
    workers'' was a new attempt to boycott legal instituions and to
    disregard social and state order. The Serbian government also said
    that it was unable to meet the strikers' demand for salary
    increases ``because it would be an additional expenditure for the
    budget. The only solution would be to print the money,'' the
    government statement continued, ``and that means that the
    strikers' demands are actually an attack on the stability of our
    currency.''


    HEIR TO THRONE BACKS STUDENTS

    Heir to the Serbian Throne, Aleksandar Karadjordjevic on Monday
    sent a message of support to Student Protest 96/97, congratulating
    Belgrade students on ``the decisiveness and persistence shown so
    far,'' reports FoNet. The message continues ``I am proud of you
    and I hope you will persist in your efforts against the
    manipulation of those on power.''


    TELEVISION TAX BOYCOTT

    New Kragujevac Mayor Veroljub Stevanovic has called on citizens
    not to pay the special tax on their electricity bills which serves
    as a subscription to state television RTS, reports Radio B92. The
    mayor told citizens to pay their electricity bills regularly, but
    to refuse to pay the additional tax. The City Assembly of
    Kragujevac, which has a Zajedno majority, has begun legal
    procedures to test the constitutionality and legality of the
    television tax.


    ZAJEDNO IN VIENNA

    The Legal Department of the Civil Alliance of Serbia annnounced on
    Monday that a three member delegation of the Zajedno coalition
    would go to Vienna. The mission will hold talks on the situation
    in the city of Sabac, where Zajedno had won a majority of seats in
    the November local elections, but had not been recognized, Beta
    reports. A delegation from Student Protest 96/97 will travel to
    Sabac on Tuesday as an act of support for the recognition of
    election results there.

    Prepared by: Goran Dimitrijevic
    Edited by: Steve Agnew

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    ODRAZ B92, Belgrade                             Daily News Service
    E-mail: odrazb92@b92.opennet.org, beograd@siicom.com
    WWW:    http://www.siicom.com/odrazb/, http://www.opennet.org/b92/
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