{"id":42807,"date":"2026-03-20T10:41:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T08:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cins.rs\/?p=42807"},"modified":"2026-03-20T11:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T09:03:13","slug":"illegal-works-on-the-expo-working-off-the-books-and-fleeing-from-construction-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cins.rs\/en\/illegal-works-on-the-expo-working-off-the-books-and-fleeing-from-construction-site\/","title":{"rendered":"Illegal Works on the EXPO: Working off the Books and Fleeing from Construction Site"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yusuf F\u0131rat Baran <\/strong>was toward the end of his construction job on two villas in Montenegro when a friend called him.<\/p>

\u201cWe need you \u2013 come to Belgrade and we\u2019ll work together,\u201d Yusuf recalls.<\/p>

He says his friend was working for Antares Construction<\/em>, a Serbian company that had secured a job as one of the subcontractors on the EXPO project.<\/p>

The government sees the World Expo as a development opportunity for Serbia. Billions of RSD are being invested, and the complex is being built rapidly.<\/p>

Yusuf says he didn\u2019t hesitate much \u2013 he believed his experience and knowledge would help him secure a better-paid construction job. He also speaks English, which is usually an advantage on large projects.<\/p>

He quickly entered negotiations.<\/p>

Yusuf agreed to receive a minimum wage through a company in Turkey where he would be formally employed, while the rest would be paid \u201cin cash.\u201d The company told him they would provide an invitation letter for entry into Serbia, as well as a work permit.<\/p>

He agreed, not suspecting that things would not go as smoothly.<\/p>

Documents obtained by CINS show that in just one month, the national Labor Inspectorate found 30 workers from Turkey and China at the EXPO construction site without work permits \u2013 including Yusuf. Their total number is likely higher because, according to construction workers interviewed by CINS, workers often hide when inspections arrive.<\/p>

Due to suspicions of employing undeclared workers, the Inspectorate initiated court proceedings against Antares Construction<\/em> and the Belgrade branch of PowerChina International Group Limited<\/em>. These proceedings have been ongoing for nearly a year, CINS reports.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>

Marija An\u0111elkovi\u0107<\/strong> from the organization Astra<\/em>, which among other things deals with labor rights protection, explains that workers without proper permits face various risks:<\/p>

\u201cSuch a situation is fertile ground for various abuses, such as unpaid wages, unpaid overtime, confiscation of documents, and restrictions on freedom of movement.\u201d<\/p>

According to labor law attorney Ivana Cvetkovi\u0107<\/strong>, workers could sue employers for fraud, as they should not have started working before obtaining a work permit.<\/p>

\u201cWorkers could hypothetically sue the employer for having mislead them.\u201d<\/p>

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\u0110or\u0111e Preli\u0107 hired for work at EXPO: I\u2019m just a chewing gum in a supermarket<\/a>
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\u201cWhy would we run? We\u2019re here legally.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>

Upon arriving in Belgrade, Yusuf says he briefly handed over his passport to the company. The company was supposed to register his residential address, after which he would receive a so-called \u201cwhite card\u201d as confirmation. He says he was told the card would be sufficient proof that he was employed legally while awaiting a work permit.<\/p>

\u201cThey told us Serbian bureaucracy is slow.\u201d<\/p>

Yusuf started working.<\/p>

According to him, the company made him one of the supervisors on the construction site. His tasks included interpreting project plans for workers, checking for construction errors, and keeping records of working hours.<\/p>

With his team, he worked on the construction of one of the 11 residential buildings within the EXPO complex.<\/p>

The work, he says, was not smooth. Deadlines were tight, and precision was strictly required.<\/p>

\u201cThey were extremely strict \u2013 no errors, not even half a centimeter.\u201d<\/p>

He had been working on the EXPO for about three months when, in early February 2025, a labor inspector unexpectedly arrived at the site.<\/p>

\u201cAll the Egyptians, Peruvians, and Arabs who were working for other subcontractors panicked and ran away. We stayed,\u201d Yusuf recalls.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

Illustration: AI\/Google Gemini<\/em><\/p>

Yusuf didn\u2019t understand what the inspector wanted. The workers called Emrullah Kaya<\/strong>, a translator who was also working for Antares Construction<\/em> and was almost always present on site.<\/p>

\u201cThe inspector asked me who was working there, who I was working for, and if we had permits,\u201d Emrullah told CINS, adding that he answered all her questions.<\/p>

In the official report obtained by CINS, the inspector noted that she found 26 Antares Construction<\/em> workers without work permits on site that day\u2013 including Yusuf and the translator Emrullah.<\/p>

About Antares Construction<\/h2>

Antares Construction<\/span><\/i> was founded six months after Serbia officially became the host of the specialized EXPO exhibition.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The owner and director is 27-year-old Aleksandra Gligorin.<\/b><\/span><\/p><\/div>

The Misdemeanor court in Negotin<\/i> had convicted Gligorin for driving without a valid driver\u2019s license. Police established this after stopping her for speeding in a school zone.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Another misdemeanor case is ongoing against her in the same court for lending her car to a Turkish citizen who was also driving without a license.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

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