Social dialogue, workers’ rights and freedom of association in the western Balkans – a survey after a first round of empirical research
Social dialogue, workers’ rights and freedom of association in the western Balkans – a survey after a first round of empirical research

Summary/Abstract: This article presents a survey conducted on behalf of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation into the causes of the decline of trade unions and of their potential in the western Balkans. The survey stems from a major concern that the social challenges of the transformation have led people to be more in need of a trade union than ever before but that the loss of the obligation to be a union member and the switch in the role of the union from that which applied before the transition have led to membership trends and union activities not keeping pace with what would seem to be required. The study explores as causes the institutional structure, trade union capacity and workplace representation, collective bargaining practice and coverage, the right to strike, the role of minimum wages, the state of the social dialogue and the record of implementation on employee and trade union rights. It concludes that trade union organisations are in no place to meet these challenges on their own and, therefore, that avenues for social dialogue projects within the structure of European pre-accession support funds need to be explored.

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