In an interview delivered to Serbian media during his visit to Nis, CATUS President Orbovic said that last five years were extremely difficult for Serbian workers. That period was marked by low salaries/pensions and a ban on new employment in public sector. CATUS did its best, but is still not satisfied with the achievements.
“We pressed for a general increase of wages and managed to raise minimum salaries by 42.4 % in last four years, which means they got much closer to the price of the consumer’s basket than they were before. We fought fiercely for even bigger amount, but the government was not ready to accept it. Nevertheless, this year it has grown much faster than in the past”, said Orbovic. He also mentioned the government’s plan for ”900 euro wages in 2025” and pointed to the union’s role in monitoring and supporting that process.
“Even if the government has partially improved the life of public servants, the unions are generally not satisfied with current workers’ conditions – the wages are still low, especially in the private sector. One of the main problems is the lack of sectorial collective agreements. Signing of such agreements will be one of our priorities in the times-to-come”, concluded Orbovic.
It’s a fact that last few years Serbia was earmarked by a lagging economy, high unemployment, low wages and a lack of trade union presence in small and medium enterprises. Workers, exposed to employers’ pressure often could not look for shelter under the union’s umbrella. One of the positive facts was CATUS lobbying labour inspection, which forced the employers to pay minimum wages regularly. The establishment of company trade union organisations in industrial sector was put forward as one of the most important trade union tasks.
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