22 July, 2014Trade unions in Serbia conducted a nationwide general strike on 17 July in rejection of the government’s plan to cut wages and working conditions.
Bypassing established parliamentary procedure; the Serbian government is attempting to push through a raft of legislative attacks on workers in the country. Unions are protesting the passage of the proposals to Parliament without the consensus of the country’s Social and Economic Council.
The Serbian government is being pressured into implementing the sham austerity agenda by foreign corporate power.
“We stand with you in your necessary struggle against this attack on workers in Serbia” said IndustriALL General Secretary Jyrki Raina in his letter to the Serbian affiliates. “Count on our support, we march with you shoulder-to-shoulder”.
Specifically, the laws that the government aims to amend are: the Labour Law; Law on Privatization; Law on Bankruptcy; and the Law on Retirement and Disability Insurance.
The low wages and social protections in Serbia risk being further weakened across the board of minimum wage, pensions, disability insurance, severance pay, holiday allowance, legal duration of temporary contracts, and trade union bargaining. While zero consultation has been afforded to the Serbian unions they have been forced into strike action.
Two national trade union centres, UGS Nezavisnost and the SSSS confederation organized the general strike. IndustriALL affiliate GS IER Nezavisnost mobilized 1,000 members from many different regions of Serbia to march in the capital Belgrade. Many of the union’s members have not received their salary for over a year and were only able to participate in the demonstration by union organized transportation.
Over 15,000 workers demonstrated on 17 July in front of the Parliament Building. Four IndustriALL affiliates participated, GS IER Nezavisnost and three members of the SSSS confederation, the Autonomous Metalworkers union of Serbia-SSMS, the Autonomous Trade Union of energy and petrochemistry workers of Serbia, and the Autonomous trade union of textile, leather and footwear workers of Serbia.
Milorad Panović, president of GS IER Nezavisnost, reported on 17 July:
Today, we have proclaimed a general strike which will continue until our demands are met. We ask the government and parliament to stop the proposed changes to these laws. The party in power, together with their coalition parties, has 207 votes in the Parliament, out of the total of 256, if they want to withdraw the proposed amendments, they can do it easily.