Turkish workers stranded in Serbia after firm refuses to pay salaries

Five Turkish workers were stranded in Serbia after the company they worked for refused to pay their salaries. CHP deputy Metin İlhan said that he conveyed the issue to the Turkish Consulate, but to no avail.

Elvan Yılmaz / DUVAR 

Five Turkish workers were stranded in Serbia after the company they worked for in Novi Pazar refused to pay their salaries. 

Osman Taşkın, Fettah Taşkın, Yüksel Soylu, Halil Öztürk and Ali Öz have been stranded in the country for four months since they have no money to return to Turkey. 

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Metin İlhan said that he conveyed the issue to the Turkish Consulate, but that officials refused to help. 

"People in Turkey should send you money so that you can return. We have nothing to do," the deputy cited the consulate as telling the workers. 

Saying that the consulate should have provided help, İlhan noted that the workers are having problems with finding a place to stay. 

The lawmaker also called on the Turkish Foreign Ministry to help. 

"Please don't cite bureaucratic obstacles as excuses. Bring our citizens to Turkey," he said. 

Noting that he has regular contact with the workers, İlhan said that their employment visas have expired.