"None of those in front of the court who insulted us came up to me and said 'I'm sorry,'" Milovan Milivojević, whose son Milomir died on July 14, 2017 in the factory of Namenska industrija Lucani, told Vreme. "Most passers-by put their heads down and pass me by." They don't come to my house, not even all the neighbors. Earlier, I had twelve guests from the neighborhood at the party, now there are none."
Lučani is a town with less than 3.500 inhabitants, but also a municipal seat that has its own registration number. The local population practically lives off of one company - Dedicated Industry for the Production of Explosives and Gunpowder "Milan Blagojević", headed by the factory director Radoš Milovanović (75). He has been in that position since 1982, although he has been retired since 2003. By the way, during the 38 years of his mandate, 21 workers died.
For almost four decades, there was mostly silence about it: the families were "taken care of" - they got apartments, employment... No one was responsible for the deaths: if the process was started, those responsible in the factory were acquitted. And then there was an explosion and fire in the temporary warehouse on July 14, 2017, when two workers died from burns.
One of them was Milomir Milivojević (1991); he succumbed to his injuries at the VMAs on August 3. His father Milovan - himself a worker of the factory for more than three decades - spoke publicly about everything that happened then, that is, about the huge failures in the organization of work with explosive materials. Milovan also used the opportunity, when the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, visited the area, to make his way to him and tell him what happened. He then received him together with his wife Nela Vučić in April 2018. Also, an investigation was launched and an indictment was brought against Milovanović and several other responsible persons from "MB Namensko", for the criminal offense of "serious crime against general security".
The moment he addressed Vučić, and then the public, the "walk of suffering" of Milovan (54) and his family - wife Nela (50), daughter Mirjana (30) and father Branko (79) - began, and continues to this day. . The highlight of it all was the supposedly spontaneous - but actually very organized - march of several hundred factory workers to the court in Ivanjica to express their support for director Milovanović at the beginning of the trial. Those people insulted their colleague Milovan, Nela and Mirjana in front of the court building, and greeted Milovanović's arrival with thunderous applause. The entire country saw this painful and unprecedented act on television.
In addition to all that, Milovanović filed a lawsuit against Milovan and Mirjana for the "insults" they caused him: he with his statements in public, and she with an open letter to Vučić. The court in Ivanjica punished them with a "court warning" and the obligation to reimburse the costs of the process, but after an appeal, the High Court in Čačak acquitted them last week.
How does the Milivojević family live today? The team of "Vremena" visited them in their house in Lucani: in a conversation lasting several hours, they told what they suffer in a small town where almost all the residents know each other, especially the factory workers.
TABLETS AND EXCLUSION
"We live and sleep on tablets." Such is the life of me and my wife. We sleep for a few hours at night, and at first after Mish's death we couldn't even sleep that much. In the 20 days he was at the VMAs, we couldn't sleep at all. Everything since then has lasted us like an eternity," says Milovan. He still goes to work in the factory where he has worked for 34 years, but he is afraid that he will not see retirement. If he is not on sick leave, he goes to the workplace by taking pills before leaving, and there he cries two or three times during working hours. "Eight hours is an eternity at work," he says. "There are still my son's things in my closet - instant coffee '3 in 1', a food stamp, pieces of clothing." Both he and his wife are going to see a psychiatrist in Čačak for therapy because of everything that is happening.
When asked how he is doing at work, whether he meets people who insulted him in front of the court in Ivanjica, and they know that they themselves could have suffered the fate of his son, Milovan explains: "None of those in front of the court who insulted us came up and said 'sorry'. Most of them are not allowed to look me in the eyes, they lower their heads and pass me by. Some of them approach me for formality, they nod, a couple of them say 'hello'."
Most of the other people in the factory, those who were not in Ivanjica, also avoid him: some stop for a while, ask how he is, and these are those who have known him longer. As far as tasks at work are concerned, they communicate normally - "officially". Witnesses who want to testify in the process, and there are several of them, are allowed to sit with him, the others are not.
photo: marija jankovićVICTIM OF SYSTEM JAVAŠLUK: Milomir Milivojević
A similar thing, he adds, is in Lucani, towns with practically one street; people are afraid that someone will report them to Milovanović because of that. "Half would pass, there would be no answer, part of them would say 'hello'," says Milovan. "And there is no way that they will sit with me, the fear of Radoš is too great." If I were to invite them to one of the three cafes and two taverns, as many as there are in Lucani, none of them would be allowed, because someone would see him and report him. They don't come to my house, not even all the neighbors. Earlier, I had twelve guests from the neighborhood at the party, now I have none."
How "dangerous" he is is evidenced by the fact that, when they go to the place of their son's death on the anniversary to light a candle, the family is accompanied by the head of security and a porter.
Milovan also had trouble with the police when he went to the village of Lucani (a few kilometers away) to a washing machine repairman to get a part. Majstor is 200-300 meters away from the Milovanović family house. Milovan Milivojević claims that the director's house is worth 100.000 euros, there are cameras everywhere, "not even a bird can come near" and one of the drivers from the factory noticed him.
"The police call me for an interview the next day." They laughed too, asked about everything. They told me, 'I'm sorry, we have to do it on official duty, you're reported, the commander ordered,'" says Milovan. "By the way, Radoš runs away when he sees me." When the new electric vehicles arrived at the workshop - and I work on their maintenance - the experts from Germany and from the 'Vinca' Institute were to inspect them, he was not allowed to appear. He knows what words he would say to me: 'A stinking piece of garbage.' Whenever he sees me, he hides. He doesn't even walk down the street, but by car from the factory to the hotel. He takes food from the hotel, which is a factory, puts it in the trunk of his car and takes it home. Everything is paid by the factory. And football players (FK 'Mladost'), and three stadiums, and electricity for them, and maintenance, and everything else. "Football players are treated like employees in a factory."
His wife Nella continues: "Rados complained in court that we were provoking him." He even considers the look a provocation. He said to my daughter: 'I'm your mother.' And to Milovan: 'A stinking piece of garbage.'"
Milovan continues: "He doesn't have to be afraid of me, I won't do anything to him." I could have slaughtered him with my teeth for anything, but I didn't slaughter a chicken. Such a man should not exist, even a bullet is expensive for him. But don't worry, I won't do anything to him."
JOB FOR BROTHER
Milovan talks about the first time he entered the factory after his son's death, three months later, and meeting the director. He says that they told him to come to the executive director Predrag Ilić, but that he refused because "he finished every conversation with him". Then the next day, Milovanović came with trade unionists and a lawyer: to agree to an out-of-court settlement and a job for the daughter, and for the wife to choose what she will do.
"Both refused because they won't get a job through a dead brother and son." Radoš told me that he employed and provided for the children of all the workers who died, and gave them apartments. I told him: 'Give me back the child, I need that, I don't need houses and apartments.' He also blamed me for bringing a lawyer to the interview. I replied, 'Do you expect to make fools of us.' The conversation lasted two hours and 20 minutes."
Mirjana Milivojević, when she refused a job at "MB Namenska", was left without a job in the company "Maxima" in December 2017, where she worked as a laboratory assistant until then.
"A month before, I heard that Radoš was putting pressure on the owner to fire me." She told my mother not to listen to stories. After 7 to 10 days, she called my parents and said that she had to fire me because they were blackmailing her with a building permit, and that I belonged in a factory. She then told me that she had to fire me because, allegedly, an unknown voice had been calling for days, from an unknown number, that she had to fire me until the situation calmed down, so she could hire me again."
Then comes April 2018 and a new "fix" - Mirjana fell ill from daily stress, fainted, her parents took her to the Health Center in Lucani, and from there she was transferred by ambulance to Čačak, where she was scanned and X-rayed at the neurology department .
"I'm waiting for tomorrow's report for an unusually long time, from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon." Then the doctor comes to tell me that a blood vessel in my brain has burst and that I have to go to Belgrade, to Professor Đurović. I felt good then and it was strange. They transported me the next morning, with all the documentation and scans that my blood vessel had burst. I'm waiting there, the doctor comes and asks where the patient is, they point to me, and he wonders why I'm in a standing position when there's the greatest danger of bleeding. They did all the scans I needed and the doctors were amazed. They came out, and one of the nurses then told me that the video they sent from Čačak was not mine, nor was it my diagnosis. Someone played a prank on someone else, probably to cause even more stress for the parents."
Mirjana met Milovanović after he sued for insult. "I was walking down the street, he was in the car and stopped when he came to me." He opened the window, and I followed when I saw him. He told me that he was following all my posts on Facebook and held out his hand, I guess to 'make up'. I responded with, 'If you pretend you don't know my parents, why would you know me.' He persistently asked me five or six times to give him my hand. Then, by chance, dad appeared and when he saw that, he said to him: 'Will you give me your hand, do you have something to say to me?' He hit the gas and ran away."
SHAMEFUL APPLAUSE AND STRESS
Nela Milivojević begins her story about the events in front of the court in Ivanjica in November last year by saying that the workers' applause for Milovanović hurt the most, "they welcomed him as a national hero". It was also an applause against the state and the court: "We are not accusing him, but the state, he is being tried for the death of two workers." And he brings almost the entire company to court. I meet these people, someone answers, someone bows their head. I don't like to call them either, it's hard for me to even see them. And I can't even tell them not to call."
Nela says that when the accident happened, no one from the company offered them help, even to go to Belgrade, because Milomir was transferred to the VMA. "One of my son's colleagues said that his conscience does not allow Milovan to drive the car to Belgrade, and he did it." The rest seemed to hide in a mouse hole."
Recounting the conversation with Vučić, which he emphasizes was correct, Nela states that he said that "it would be 100 times worse if that happened to him".
"Vučić asked, when the Minister of Defense Vulin submitted the report stating that our child dropped the barrel, why the case has not been closed yet, if so. When we showed him the report of the military commission, Vulin said that it was top secret material. Vučić then asked him why he did not deliver it to him. We only asked for the case to be started from a deadlock, because for almost two years the prosecutor did nothing."
Explaining what really happened in that tragedy and under what circumstances it happened, Milovan claims that the problem is that there were 300 barrels with that technological gunpowder waste in the warehouse, which does not have a use permit, open, without lids, without antistatic bags, and in each was 50-70 kilograms of matter.
"The regulations do not allow such a quantity of barrels, and it has not been determined what the humidity of that gunpowder was either," says Milovan. "That gunpowder waste is stable up to 10 percent humidity, it cannot be ignited with an open flame, not even with a 'burner'." The regulation says that the humidity level must not be less than 30 percent, and it was below five percent."
There wasn't even an antistatic surface, the barrels were unloaded directly onto the asphalt, the thick tire was put on only afterwards. Milovan also found out that there was no water in the hydrant in front of the warehouse - a new one was installed before that, but no water was connected. He also expresses doubt that the fire protection system was in operation at all, because "if it had been activated, they might have been able to survive."
"Prosecutor Danilo Vujičić from Ivanjica, who has handled all accident cases in 'Namenska' so far, is coming to the investigation," Milovan continues. "He entrusted the security of the place to the factory security instead of the police doing it, as is usual." And then they washed everything, cleaned it, removed the gunpowder from the warehouse. Then comes court expert Miloš Vukadinović, who has been the expert on everything until now. And he wrote that acid leaking from the battery of the electric cart when it came into contact with the asphalt caused a reaction and led to a fire. The Vinča Institute denied it. The next expert opinion is performed by Julije Cinkler from Novi Sad, an 85-year-old man who has been working with Milutinović since 2001. And he wrote that the impact of the barrel caused the fire, which has nothing to do with the brain."
Despite the kind of isolation imposed on them, the health and other problems they have, the Milovanović family says that they will not give up the fight for justice and that they will see the case through to the end. Milovan just asks all his colleagues how far they will support "Jutka from Lucan". They get a day off for going to the courthouse and get free gas, and when he goes to the trial, he is refused work for eight hours even though he has a summons from the court.
"In two and a half years, I have been to the court in Ivanjica 11 times. And before that, I never had anything to do with the police or the court," says Milivojević indignantly.
Life is cheaper than a T-shirt.
The Milivojevics state - which the other workers also confirmed - that their son worked, like others, in a cotton T-shirt without protective equipment. They didn't even have it, everything changed only after the accident, they got antistatic suits.
"An anti-static T-shirt costs 2000-3000 dinars, and the factory used to buy Chinese ones from 200-300 dinars," says Nela.
Milovan also claims that his son's signature for the charge of the protective equipment was forged: he also shows that document, where it is clearly seen that the signature is not the same and that it was written by a different hand, and it is about the dates of March 10 and August 17, 2016, and February 7, 2017. He states that the workers in the plant where his son worked were given unlimited quantities of Panadolp and Cafetin medicines in order to be able to carry out their work, as well as "as much coffee as they want", due to the large fumes.
"My son worked for three years and a month without a day of vacation. I barely managed to beg his boss once to let him combine Friday with the weekend, to have three days off," says Milovan. It also shows the director's order for "voluntary" weekend work, which is issued every Friday. Those who refuse will be subject to termination of the contract (if it is for a fixed period) or transfer to another, worse position if employed for an indefinite period.
In agreement with the minister
A particularly tragicomic story is Milovanović's letter to Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin dated January 17, 2018, in which he asks him to intervene through Interior Minister Nebojša "Stevanović" (that's what he wrote twice, it's not a typo) because Milivojević "organized him , with his wife and daughter insults him and calls him a murderer on the street".
"But in agreement with you, I avoid any contact and simply do not react," writes Milovanović, and as the reason for taking measures, the MUP states that "the workers are really outraged and are afraid that they will take to the streets, even though this company is doing better than ever . In the last three years, we have received over 300 workers on a fixed-term basis, and given that we monitor their work, behavior and compliance with labor regulations and safety measures, the employment of 15 workers was terminated solely due to non-compliance with labor regulations, alcohol use and the like... Milivojević gathers you workers in his house and puts pressure and threats on me as a person and on my family. Three young men from that group attacked my granddaughter on the evening of January 13-14 and wanted to lynch her. I reported the case to the police and now I expect a reaction from the police, which is very slow and non-existent," said Milovanović.
Questions that the director would have to answer
A military technologist with extensive experience, who cannot speak by name because of his work in the civil service, tells "Vreme" that Milovanović should be asked more professional questions at the trial, to which he would have to answer and document it.
"Let him answer what he thinks: if the barrels in question had been wetted before the start of the transport, would there have been a fire during the transfer?" Why does the Law prescribe that waste be stored under water and who is responsible for compliance with the regulations and the technological process? Was the technological work process respected in the specific case? And if so, how did it get to the point where the gunpowder was kept exposed to the sun, in improper packaging, which caused it to dry and later ignite?"
He adds that one should ask how it is possible, if the technological regulations were respected, that the wet gunpowder waste caught fire, as well as whether someone from the occupational safety service warned him that the workers were not using the prescribed equipment and were working in short-sleeved T-shirts. sleeves, as well as whether that service provided him with deficiencies in the application of safety measures in production.
"Did the plant managers point out such shortcomings to him?" Is there overtime in production and is the 42-hour work week law respected? Are jobs standardized and who determines the standards and assigns incentives? And, finally, was he informed by the security service that the E-03 facility was operating without a use permit?"
In the report of the military commission, which is marked as "strictly confidential", according to that source, a number of omissions were mentioned, for which Milovanovic was charged, and one of the main omissions is in the regulations on the technological process of production, and among other things, that the scheme of internal transport has not been drawn up, as well as that "the packaging and the dynamics of its replacement have not been defined, nor the procedures during manipulation, interphase transport and storage of technological gunpowder waste and its removal from the packaging".
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