On June 30th, 2020 in the Trade Union House the 16th Congress of the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia was held. Congress was attended by 296 delegates and around 150 guests. All the preparations were done with due respect of protective measures and physical distance.
Congress of the oldest and largest trade union confederation, which marks its 117th anniversary, conveyed a joint message Experience with us, Future ahead of us!
In his introductory speech CATUS President, Ljubisav Orbović, thanked the attendees for coming to Congress in these uncertain times and expressed satisfaction for having managed to organise Congress with only a month of delay due to the epidemic and emergency state. He also pointed out that in those circumstances the most difficult struggle was to maintain standard employment, fight against the misuse of technological development and digitalization, increasing social inequalities and discrimination.
‘Our task is to adjust to changes and give our contribution to creating more successful and more developed Serbia that cannot exist as such without satisfied workers and citizens’, said Orbovic.
‘Having in mind that even in these altered working conditions work will stay and so will exploitation, we need to step up our fight to protect workers’ rights and dignity’, he added.
According to him, ‘by promoting our endeavours and success, we shall prove that in those companies, factories and institutions where employees are unionised, rights are a lot less violated, working conditions are better and OHS is at a higher level’.
At the 16th Congress Ljubisav Orbović was re-elected CATUS President. The following documents were adopted: CATUS Activity Program, 7 Resolutions and 2 Declarations. Members of the Council, Statutary and Auditing Committees were elected for the upcoming mandate.
Congress was also addressed by Ivica Dačić, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Serbia; Zoran Đorđević, Labour Minister; Miloš Nenezić, President of Serbian Employers’ Association and Zoran Stojiljković, President of TUC NEZAVISNOST.
Luca Visentini, ETUC General Secretary, Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary and Reiner Hoffman, DGB President took part in the work of the Congress through video messages. Regarding regional guests, Ranka Mišić, President of the Confederation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Srpska addressed the delegates in person.
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