Japan, Serbia, Kyrgyzstan

Members of the EPS trade union began strike action on 10 January. The companies affected are PE Electric Power Industry of Serbia, PE Elektromreža Srbije (Serbian Transmission System and Market Operator) and PE Underground Pit Mine Exploration. The strike is over the way the employers have disregarded the demands of the strikers for an increase in hourly pay. The general strike started on 10 January. The proposal of the Government of Serbia to postpone the strike till the end of February 2006 was rejected by the Board of Strikers. The last round of negotiations was held on 20 December 2005

Last month the EMS energy union was able to sign a new collective agreement with the JP EMS electricity transmission company after lengthy negotiations. There were key issues in the negotiations around redundancy provisions, payments for food and annual leave but these were finally resolved thanks in part to expressions of support from EPSU and sister unions in Slovenia and Macedonia.

On 19 April the Trade Union of Employees in Health and Social Protection organized a demonstration over pay. The union says that the average salary in the health sector is €360 putting 28th of all sectors in the economy. Four categories of employees within the health sector don't even earn the minimum salary of €180. The union is a calling for a sectoral agreement in both the health and social protection sectors and wants changes to the decree that sets the coefficients used in the calculation salaries. In particular the union wants the government to withdraw plans to change the coefficients

The two main trade union confederations and several independent trade unions said that over half a million workers from the public and private sectors joined the one-hour strike called on 23 January. The strike was in protest at plans for wide-ranging changes to labour laws that would reduce employee protection and undermine collective bargaining. The unions said that further action would follow if the reforms weren't withdrawn. Following the strike the government has called early election and the minister for the economy, the main proponent of the reforms has resigned. [Read more at > B92

The two main trade union confederations called a general strike and national protests on 17 July in their continuing campaign against changes to the labour code and cuts to pensions and disability benefit. A one-hour general strike was widely supported in January and the unions have had to maintain their campaign despite a change of government. The strike this time was called at short notice reflecting union concerns that the government was trying to push the measures through parliament without following due procedure. The ETUC has written to the government calling on it to get involved in