Tamburkovski: Unions Are the Last Resort for Workers, But Face Systemic Challenges

In Serbia, a prevailing sentiment of distrust extends to many institutions, including trade unions, according to political scientist Nikola Tamburkovski. While unions may not command high public confidence, they are not alone in this regard; similar skepticism is directed towards parliament, the judiciary, media, and political parties. This widespread lack of faith is particularly concerning given research indicating a growing inclination towards authoritarian views and a belief that the country needs a 'strong hand,' suggesting a societal trend towards deeper autoritarianism.

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I think people, primarily workers, remember well everything that happened to them in the past period: wars, inflation, the stripping of their property through privatization, job losses and then the continuous degradation of workers' rights and the position of workers through those eternal market reforms, which never end and never bring results.

Tamburkovski links this erosion of trust to the tumultuous transition from self-managed socialism to market capitalism and liberal democracy at the end of the last century. This shift, he argues, relegated Serbia to a capitalist (semi)periphery. While the initial promise was the development of democracy and pluralism akin to Western nations, the reality has been a prolonged period of authoritarian governance, with only brief interruptions. Consequently, a robust 'democratic political culture' has failed to develop, casting a long shadow over the perception and effectiveness of trade unions.

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And they blame the union for not succeeding in protecting them, or for not succeeding in preventing or mitigating all of that in some way.

Workers, Tamburkovski explains, remember the hardships of recent decades: wars, inflation, asset stripping through privatization, job losses, and the continuous degradation of labor rights. They often hold unions accountable for failing to protect them or mitigate these negative consequences. However, he cautions against placing sole blame on unions, emphasizing the significant influence of external and internal forces, including the global trend of social state decline, which affected both Eastern and Western Europe. While acknowledging that unions could potentially have done more to cushion the blow, he stresses that expecting them to single-handedly reverse such large-scale global processes is unrealistic.

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It is normal for people to hold unions responsible for the state of labor rights and the position of workers, but one must take into account all the external and internal forces that had influence and interest in these events.

Furthermore, Tamburkovski points out that Serbian unions were not structured from the outset to possess the real capacity to challenge powerful interests unilaterally. Research indicates that while nearly 40% of workers cite internal union issues—such as poor functioning, inadequate leadership, or internal disputes—as major problems, the remaining majority point to the behavior of the state, employers, or the apathy and lack of awareness among workers themselves. Therefore, while unions remain the sole remaining mechanism for worker protection, their effectiveness is severely hampered by a complex interplay of internal weaknesses and formidable external pressures.

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The dying of the social state was a trend both in Central and Eastern Europe (former communist countries) and in the West.