How does trust shape the world of work across Europe? Continuing our journey across Europe: 🇷🇸 Serbia

August 18, 2025

Serbia’s industrial relations are marked by strong state intervention and weak, fragmented social partners.

Collective bargaining coverage declined from 55% in 2010 to about 30% in 2019 (OECD & AIAS, 2021). Union density was 26.4% in 2014, with private-sector bargaining largely confined to large, foreign-owned companies.

The study reveals that trust is uneven and context-dependent, varying greatly by level and sector. Evidence shows trust is most stable at the national level, supported by long-term relationships and regular interaction.

It underscores that trust is fragile in sectoral and local contexts, where structural obstacles and personal factors dominate.

Challenges include the legal difficulty of extending sectoral agreements, weak employer representation, and fragmented union structures.

Opportunities lie in professionalising social partners, stabilising labour market institutions, and cultivating trust through personal engagement and repeated dialogue. Without such steps, social dialogue in Serbia will remain limited in scope and impact.

📄 Want to learn more? Read the report, authored by Mihail Arandarenko & Dragan Aleksić from Ekonomski fakultet u Beogradu, Serbia: https://celsi.sk/media/datasource/TRUE_Europe_Serbia.pdf

#TrueEurope #Serbia #SocialDialogue #IndustrialRelations #CollectiveBargaining #Trust