The employees of “Mondal Industrija” in Danilovgrad have responded to the article titled “Iković: Illegal cement production, inspection urgently needs to go to the field” published on the Vijesti portal.

Here is the full response:

“Mr. Iković, you were absent from the public hearing on August 15, 2025, as well as the one on June 10, 2025, when it was not the fire season.

It’s worth noting that during the public hearing on August 15, 2025, a representative from one of our competitors, who sells cement in Montenegro, mentioned the so-called illegal cement production, and you echoed this in your article.

Given your absence at the public hearing and your statements to the media, it seems you may not fully grasp the situation. It appears you may be acting on secondhand information from someone—perhaps our competitors—leading you to report based on incomplete facts.

Your claim that the economy can recover while the health of our children cannot raises a key question:

Do our children matter to you more than to us?

Are you safeguarding our children and those of us employed at the Factory better than we are?

Do you know more about our production processes than those of us who have dedicated years, in some cases decades, working here? Many of us have lived close to the Factory for years, raising our families nearby.

Are you a medical professional qualified to make such serious remarks about risking our children’s health?

Are you an expert in conducting measurements and hence possessing data about potential harm that the relevant authorities do not have?

Additionally, there are two quarries adjacent to our Factory, making it unclear how you identified which dust particles originate from us and which come from the quarries.

On what basis do you make such statements to the media? What documents and qualifications support your assertions?

Have you consulted with experts who compiled the necessary analyses? Your media presentation indicates a reliance on information from someone lacking expertise in the technological processes detailed in those analyses, which we are familiar with due to our work at the Factory.

How did you ascertain that illegal activities were occurring here?

Are you knowledgeable about the cement production process?

Lastly, Mr. Iković, if you are advocating for the Factory’s closure—which some say might benefit our competition—will you take responsibility for our salaries and our families’ well-being? If we lose our jobs, many of us have no other options, as we are not politically involved, and we cannot simply turn to you or the party you represent for housing solutions.

You may not be aware, but eight years ago, before the current owner took over, the Factory was shut down and we were left unpaid, with the State owing taxes and contributions, and essential services getting cut off as creditors sought their dues.

“We are not defending our employer; we are standing up for ourselves. In a flood of populist statements, no one seems to consider us—the employees who work here and live nearby with our families. It seems everyone else believes they know what’s best for us and our children better than we do,” the response concludes.

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