Trade union

A leading union activist in Serbia said trade unions would call a general protest for Thursday, when parliament is due to adopt a controversial new Labour law.

Unions vow to continue fighting against labor law

BELGRADE -- Two representative unions will stage a protest in Belgrade on Tuesday against changes to the Labor Law, and new legislation on pension and disability insurance.

The protest will come as the drafts, adopted by the government on Saturday, are debated in parliament.

Members of independent trade unions will gather in front of the Serbian parliament in Belgrade on Tuesday to demonstrate bitter dissatisfaction over the expected passage of a controverial new Labour Act.

The secretary of the "Nezavisnost" ["Independence"] association of unions, Zoran Mihajlovic, said he expected around 3,000 people to come and set up tents in the city centre.

"I have asked that we implement a difficult programme, one could hardly imagine in these circumstances, reduction of pensions of minimum 20 per cent, cut of public sector salaries for 15 per cent, layoffs for 160,000 workers and increase of the electricity price for 30 per cent," Krstic said.

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran Care and Social Affairs Aleksandar Vulin qualified on Friday as irresponsible the decision of trade union representatives to end the talks with the Serbian government concerning the bill of amendments to the labour law and organise protests instead.

Trade unions quit labor law talks, announce protests

BELGRADE -- Branislav Čanak and Ljubisav Orbović, who head two largest trade union organizations, have left the talks with the government on amendments to the Labor Law.

BELGRADE - The leaders of the two largest uniond associations in Serbia, United Trade Unions Independence and Confederation of Autonomus Trade Unions of Serbia (SSSS), Branislav Canak and Ljubisav Orbovic, said on Friday they would not continue the talks with the government on proposed amendments to the labour law, and they announced protests.

BELGRADE - The Regional Conference of Trade Unions of the Financial Sector of South-East Europe (SEE) adopted a declaration supporting colleagues from Serbia who are opposing the adoption of the proposed labor law without a public debate.

BELGRADE - Serbia's Labour Minister Aleksandar Vulin has said the amendments to the labour law will make it easier to hire new people, and not lay off the existing employees.

"This is a reform law that has to be adopted, and it will be impossible to put our economy back on its feet without it.

BELGRADE - Representatives of trade unions walked out of a meeting of the working group tasked with drafting amendments to the Labor Law on Thursday, and signaled that they will on Friday decide whether they will leave the talks completely and organize protests.