Kragujevac

The employees of the "Yugo" car manufacturer are a whole new story. Many of them are literally starving. All the money they receive (which is 5 to 10 million dinars every week, the equivalent of 0.15 to 0.50 DM), is spent in the shops or at the green market. Regardless of how unenviable their position may be, no one is considering a strike action. The factory's Independent Union explains this with fear from being fired. However, many tend to believe that the "rebellion" by 870 patients of the mental asylum is by far more dangerous as they have been without medications for months now, so that doctors are forced to literally keep them in chains.

Some 22,000 pensioners, who definitely occupy the pinnacle of a pyramid of the most endangered population, only add to the gloominess of an already dark social picture of Kragujevac. The local Association of Pensioners has recently polled their fellow-pensioners about their financial and social position. Although the results could be anticipated they are still shocking, as it turned out that more than three quarters of all pensioners received from 5 to 10 DM on the last check they got in May.

Margita Cvetkovic

Pristina

"I take a trip to Tetovo (Macedonia) twice a day to obtain a few liters of petrol. I've been out of work for three years now. I am an engineer by profession, but I have to survive somehow. There, I pay less than one DM per one liter of petrol, which here sells for 2.5 DM. It is not easy to do it, but if you put a few Denars (Macedonian currency) or German Marks into your driving license, than the Serbian and Macedonian customs officers will let you go through." These are the words of Hisni Bregu from Pristina, one out of a large number of the citizens of Kosovo who are forced to pay regular visits to Macedonia in order to survive. A social map of Kosovo is rather gloomy, especially if one considers the efficiency of the local economy and the salaries. None of 30 industrial branches has achieved positive results in the first six months this year and the losses are enormous as many factories are shut down every day.

Some 50,000 workers have been on "forced vacations" for months now, and the strikes are not a rarity. The workers of the "Trepca" mines seem to be most persistent, but with no avail. On the other hand, the "Hajrulah Gorani" Union in Kosovo has announced that about 120,000 were sacked over the last three years. But, both the Albanian and the Serbian side agree that the effect of the coercive measures introduced in some 400 companies over the last three years was the same as nothing. The fact that a monthly salary of most workers amounts to 3 to 10 DM only proves this assessment. The exchange rate for a German Mark has been changing several times during a day for months now, which dictates the increase in prices. The shortage of flour causes the early morning queues in front of the bakeries, both in the state and the private ownership.

The baker's last name or the language he may be using is no longer important.

Neither is the price. The only thing that matters is that there is bread, although there are only few who can afford 1.75 DM per a kilo of flour, which is how much it costs before the harvest is over. One may occasionally find cooking oil, but the price of one liter is already 1 DM. But, if the private firms get into business, so that the goods change many hands before reaching the customers, the real price is multiplied and an ordinary citizen cannot afford it. It seems that it is most difficult to find sugar on the Kosovo market. Yet, those lucky ones may obtain it at the price of 36 to 38 DM per a bag of 50 kilos.

Violeta Orosi

Uzice

"All my illusions have been shattered after 30 years of working in the legislature," Savic Bozovic, the Judge of the District Court in Uzice, wrote in a letter to the Serbian Parliament on June 24th, 1993, where he explained the reasons why he wanted to be relieved from duty. In his letter, Bozovic said, "I refuse to be a judge who is unable to live up to his professional reputation in the society whose basic measure of reputation is his financial standing, a judge whose salary (which he receives a month later) can buy him one hair-dryer, or a pair of shoes or ten kilos of meat or 60 rolls of the cheapest toilet paper; a judge whom his children describe as "an incompetent commi (communist), because he is unable to provide them a normal life and put them through school, who will leave the people waiting in the corridors of the courthouse as he runs across the street to buy a bottle of cooking oil or a kilo of sugar before their price goes up, as would not be able to buy them afterwards, a judge who begs a salesman to spare him a bag of washing powder until he receives his paycheck and then is forced to look the very same salesman straight in the eye when the latter is sued, a judge who writes out the checks without a cover and is supposed to try someone for doing the same thing...Therefore, I demand to be relieved from duty as of August 31st.."

Generally speaking, the town of Uzice is increasingly growing poorer and futureless, despite sincere and persistent efforts the current (Socialist) authorities are making so that the life in the town becomes better, more commodious and comfortable. Uzice is not sinking into gloominess because of the local clouds, but because of the overall darkness.

The queues in front of the town halls are as long as those during the elections. This is where the pensioners whose names on the lists wait for flour, sugar and cooking oil, but only after they have queued for bread and milk that morning.

There are no medicines, but even if there were any, the pensioners would not have enough money to buy them. That is how Uzice found itself in the situation where the old prophecy will come true once again. The prophecy says that "the time will come when the living will envy the dead." The workers of the local metal works were forcefully (threatened with sacking) taken someplace southwards to the fruit plantations for picking. Those who could work, cannot, as there is no work. Yet, the Socialists have never had it better!, to which the impotent opposition contributed without a shadow of a doubt.

The Socialists in Uzice have assessed that the arrest of Vuk and Danica Draskovic was a mistake. According to the local branch of the Serbian Socialist Party (SPS), Vuk's rating had only begun to drop. This way, it skyrocketed and he could once again be considered a dangerous opponent.

Relja Zlatic

Krusevac

When one considers the events which took place over the last few years, many tend to describe Krusevac, in comparison with other Serbian towns, as "a salvaged town." Thanks to its geographic position, its economy, and, according to some, to the mentality of its citizens, Krusevac has been spared from large-scale political, refugee and political turmoil. Yet, this is not to say that the reflections of the cruel reality have not left a visible trace here as well.

Some years ago the character of the local economy often used to come under criticism, as the economy is dominated by the processing of chemical substances. However, the ecologist and other advocates of healthy environment have flinched in the face of the fight for survival in conditions of the economic sanctions and a further erosion of the economy. The chemical plants have been quite successful in maintaining work for their employees, although they themselves were also hit hard by the drastic recession. One could stretch it and say that the break-up of the former Yugoslavia has helped them in the sense that the reduction of the market has eliminated the competition. Two companies have even marked an increase in production in this time-period, which only goes to prove that a favorable selection of goods is finalized in Krusevac. For example, "Rubin", the producer of spirits has a problem with meeting a market demand for brandy, while the cooking oil factory has worked at full steam the whole year round.

On the other hand, "October 14th", the manufacturer of machines and components, which used to be the main reason for pride in Krusevac, is going through a real agony. Out of almost 8,000 people who were formerly employed, only 6,000 names have remained on the pay-roll, even though the most of them stay at home, trying to make ends meet by petty smuggling, working under the counter or out on the farms.

Neither the founding of the profit centers, nor the re-orientation of the metal workers to picking mushrooms, nettles and linden flowers has helped the former leading producer of the machines for construction and agriculture pull out of the crisis. The Union has already requested three times that the Acting General Manager be replaced, while the department heads are in difficulty as no one in the right mind would sacrifice his career by placing himself at the head of such a company.

The visible peace and numbness of the citizens of Krusevac is only an illusion. Dissatisfaction, bitterness and anger caused by the current situation are hidden underneath the surface and present in the streets where violence ad organized crime are acquiring dramatic proportions. Apart from the automafia, Krusevac is brimming with racketeers and debt collectors.

Ljubisa Popovic

Valjevo

In the year when Valjevo celebrates six centuries after it was first mentioned in writing (in the archives of Dubrovnik) its citizens are showing discipline and patience as they queue to pay for the electricity bills (and are surprised to fnd out that the interest rate on their belated payments exceeds the bill itself several times) or as they with the persistence of a marathon runner visit the shops in search of foodstuffs which are in short supply (a kilo of flour on the black market costs 0.5 DM, and a kilo of sugar 0.8 DM); at the same time, they grumble in an undertone at their position, scold the sanctions and the imperialist world. The sinking of Valjevo, the town which used to be at the helm in the times of peace and war, has launched the lumpenpopulation to the surface.

Smugglers, dealers and racketeers have overflowed the town's squares and green markets. They have brought along a novel understanding of cleanliness and morals, so that the town is dirty and as such expectedly evil.

In spite of everything, the ruling Socialists (the ratio in the local Parliament is 36:15) claim that "they can look all their members and citizens straight in the eye with a clear conscience." On the other hand, according to the statistics nearly 20,000 people are registered to be unemployed in their municipality, which is one of the bigger in Serbia, with its 100,000 citizens in the area of about 900 square kilometers. Although the officials claim that the economy is working with 50 per cent capacity, while this figure is reduced to 30 per cent in the reports made by the Chamber of Commerce. 7,000 unemployed could complete a picture, if to them are added as many people who are formally working and on the pay-roll due to the sanctions, as well as over 3,000 refugees, mostly living with the families, and, about 1,000 people on welfare...

The investments have stopped, even, the largest "Stubo-Rovni" hydroaccumulation (worth 70 million dollars); it is ever more difficult to obtain funds for changing the streetlights, repairing the roads, so that the public service tax was raised from 2 to 4 per cent, the factories are simulating production, simultaneously fulfilling their duty to substitute the Slovene and Croat products. Only the "Krusik" factory is truly busy, with its 70 per cent production for specific purposes. Namely, there is work now after the military programs "had been pulled out of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina" and after Chief-of-Staff of the Yugoslav Army, General Zivota Panic made a promise that this factory would become a center of the rocket programs (with the range of over 1,000 kilometers).

The local power-holders claim that there are no soup-kitchens as this is the way to protect the people's dignity. One would say that everything is normal, also because the non-socialists were removed from all responsible positions, and the Socialists are on the go: the first District Council of the Serbian Socialist Party (SPS) has been formed in order to "provide for a more efficient implementation of the SPS policy in the organs of the authorities." Therefore, all those who "are not loyal to the state which finances them" can bid farewell to their offices. The opposition continues to respond to the situation by issuing announcements and holding news conferences which has not a bit disturbed the Socialists' peaceful sleep.

Dragan Todorovic

Smederevo

It has been a while since so many citizens of Smederevo were "holidaying" at the same time as they do nowadays. A general impression is that only few are working. The Smederevo Iron Works, the biggest industry in the town, were sent on vacations in June and July. The rumors have it that they will have to stay on forced vacations after their regular holidays have been used.

In the meantime they cleaned the factory halls and the surrounding grounds, so that everything is glistening and the bird song can be heard. After abandoning the idea of growing mushrooms in the canal of the warm and cold rolling mills, because mushrooms are hygroscopic, it is expected that a new idea will come up.

The lucky ones who are still working in the factory said that they had recently unloaded three barges of cigarettes from Macedonia. They also said that sheet metal had been sent in return to this southern, still unrecognized republic. Those who are not working, or are "on holiday", whichever you like, have been able to buy 25 kilos of flour at the factory's discount store. There is talk that some meat will also arrive soon.

The employees of the factory for rail vehicle repairs are also relaxing. Only 5 per cent are actually working. The biggest and for a while the only trading company "Dunav" has halved a number of workers and shops. This company's only department store has recently been shut down. They say it is because of the renovations.

There is still more bread in Smederevo that can be bought, but milk is still in short supply. There is less and less produce at the town's famous green market, which used to be quite lively at this time of the year, while a number of dealers is on the rise. The price of meat is higher than many pensions.

The pensioners have become a rare sight in the parks, but you can easily find them in the queues. One has to queue for milk, for foodstuffs from the state commodity reserves, and for medicines in front to the private pharmacy "Iris", the only one which agreed to cooperate with the local Fund for Health Insurance. It is open for three hours a day, so that those who endure queuing may eventually obtain medicines free of charge. However, an occasional exchange of blows takes place in these queues, the pensioners are still holding on.

The municipality officials are in difficulty obtaining crude oil. They have decided to meet the beginning of the heating season with 2,000 tons of heating fuel, which is only a half of the quantity necessary for the entire season. The local Public Housing Company has already received some offers. It is said that the one Arkan made is most reasonable.

Zora Danilovic