STUDY Trade Unions in Serbia on the Move? BOJAN LADJEVAC January 2017 n In order to attract more foreign investment and thereby boost the economy the Serbian government has accepted falling labour standards and neglect of the insti­tutions of social dialogue. The trade unions have been on the defensive for years. n The trade union landscape is highly fragmented. Around 20 per cent of workers are organised in five rival peak organisations and a series of independent company unions. However, in response to the trade union reforms of 2014 two trade union al­liances formed. It remains to be seen to what extent this development can contribute to the practical consolidation of the trade union scene. n Because of the discrediting of left-wing ideas by the nationalism of the 1990s, in Serbia the left-wing parties and the trade unions have not been able to walk in step. Instead, they pursue their own interests. Given the current party-political constella­tion in Serbia no further convergence is to be expected. n The economic reform course of the present government under the supervision of the IMF requires new responses and alternative ideas from the trade unions if they are to be able to represent the interests of workers more effectively. However, there is scarcely any critical engagement with their own organisations or sustainable ex­amination of their functional capacities in the course of European integration.