Employers embroiled in battles with staff and unions to minimise resistance to pay cuts or freezes should be relieved that the disgruntled parties have not resorted to amputating body parts to highlight their cause.

It has been reported that a Serbian union official cut off his little finger and ate it in protest against unpaid wages. Zoran Bulatovic used a hacksaw to perform the gruesome act, which was designed to bring attention to the fact that employees at the Raska textile factory in Novi Pazar had not been paid for several years and had nothing to eat.

Bulatovic, who said his DIY amputation 'hurt like hell', also claimed the only benefit provided by the factory was medical care. However, it is not known whether he will be utilising this benefit to have his finger treated.