Company's Belgrade branch sacks 348 workers in middle of workday: They got emails, employee stranded in office

Photo: Telegraf.rs/AI illustration/Grok

Imagine you're in the middle of a work day, everything is going as usual - and then all of a sudden you lose access to your VPN, email and computer. At first you think: it's a technical problem - but it is not. Just a few hours later, an email arrives that changes everything - you've been fired. And not only you, but 348 of your colleagues as well. This is exactly what happened to the employees of the Belgrade branch of Lottomatica.

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This Italian betting and games company in 2024 bought SKS365 for 639 million euros. Everything seemed like the beginning of a big story - new investments, new opportunities, a better future. And then - an abrupt end.

The Belgrade IT team played a key role: they worked on a system migration to a new Lottomatica platform. According to unofficial information, this job was successfully completed. And precisely at that point - the emoloyees became redundant.

The Italian USB trade union has confirmed that 348 employees in the Serbian (subsidiary) PWO branch have been fired, which has caused serious concern.

They are looking for answers: is this a case of artificial intelligence replacing people, have employees not enjoyed any protections and what awaits the rest of the staff?

Testimonies of people who were apparently affected by this event have appeared on social networks. They describe moments that seem almost unreal:

"At 12 noon they shut down the VPN, we thought it was a malfunction. At 2 pm - an email arrived saying we are all fired. A colleague could not even leave the office, his card was deactivated. Computers locked. As if we were criminals."

Although the authenticity of these comments cannot be confirmed with certainty, the details are frighteningly convincing. Another voice added:

"When they bought us (the company) they promised progress, better salaries, new roles. In the end - chaos without order and plan."

The issue of artificial intelligence runs throughout the story. In its reports, Lottomatica openly talks about systems that automatically solve tasks in a fraction of a second and about the integration of AI into all business segments. While that sounds like success to investors, it sounds like a warning to employees.

However, the truth may be even harsher - this was a cold, calculated move? The Italians bought the company, used the existing team to complete the key work, and then simply shut it down. Reports talk about tens of millions of euros saved, and "synergies". Behind those numbers, however, are hundreds of people who lost their jobs in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, the company announced record financial results, while the 348 workers in Belgrade have become jobless without warning and without any answers.

(Telegraf Biznis/serbianmonitor)