An hour-long warning strike was staged on Wednesday at the Krusik munitions plant in the western Serbian city of Valjevo.

The strikers are demanding a salary increase of 10,000 Dinars (1 Euro – 117 Dinars) to keep in step with rising inflation. The average salary in the defense industry plant is 64,500 Dinars. They also want to improve workplace safety. Krusik has a workforce of 2,300 people.

The protest was staged by workers at several parts of the factory and has the support of four of its unions. It comes after a meeting of the strike committee, unions and managers on Tuesday. N1 was told unofficially that no agreement was reached at the meeting with managers claiming that the plant was repaying debts and can’t earmark funds to raise salaries.

Krusik was shaken several years ago when a whistleblower revealed alleged wrongdoing with claims of munitions being sold to exporters at low prices and ending up in war-torn areas. The claims implicated the late father of then Internal Affairs Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and others close to the authorities.