Serbia: Construction union inks collective agreement with employers

On 20 April, the Trade Union of Construction and Building Materials Industry Workers of Serbia, and the Sector for Construction, Building Materials, and Housing Industry of the Union of Employers of Serbia signed a nationwide special (branch) collective agreement covering workers in Serbia’s construction and building materials industry. The union was represented by its president, Saša Torlaković, while the employers’ group was led by Veselin Ražnatović.

After nine years without a national branch collective agreement for the industry, Serbia's special collective agreement covering the construction and building materials industry will go into effect on the eighth day following the day of publication in the country's Official Gazette. This is a significant step forward in the union's cooperation with the employers' union and shows the growing relationship between the two parties. SRGIGMS said that it will keep on enhancing the tripartite social interaction through its ongoing efforts.

The signed agreement will initially apply to workers employed at construction firms that are members of the Union of Employers of Serbia. However, the union and the employers’ group will jointly submit a request to the government to extend the collective agreement's coverage to companies that are not members of employers’ union and all workers in the construction and building materials industry. The union commits to make workers more aware of their rights under the Special Collective Agreement and work on their implementation and oversight in collaboration with the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, and the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy of the Republic of Serbia.