Changes at "THEME 4 - Notes from the workshop with workers and trade union representatives from Serbia "
Title (English)
- +THEME 4 - Notes from the workshop with workers and trade union representatives from Serbia
Description (English)
- +Workers across different factories describe remarkably similar problems: chronic miscommunication with management, production norms set according to the fastest rather than the average worker, outdated machinery, and extreme temperatures that regularly threaten health and safety. The pressure to meet unrealistic targets creates a workplace defined by stress, fear, and constant tension, while wages remain too low to sustain a decent life. Taken together, these experiences reveal an industrial system built on maximum exploitation, where productivity is valued more than dignity, dialogue, or the well-being of the people who keep the production lines running.
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- +- Living Wage:
- +Workers describe wages that no longer merely fall short - they have become humiliatingly insufficient, often dropping below the minimum even with night shifts that should legally carry higher pay. Survival depends on constant overtime, including weekends, leaving people exhausted and with little time for rest, family, or recovery. Many note the damaging long-term effects of such schedules, and point out that only strong worker organizing has, in rare cases, forced employers to reduce overtime. They also emphasize that the pay system is fragmented into countless bonuses and “incentives” that function more as disciplinary tools than real earnings; these should be integrated into a fair, stable base wage that reflects the true value of their labour and the high-value products they produce.
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- +- Norms and excessive production:
- +Workers describe production norms as a relentless, unrealistic constant, identical every day and every shift, regardless of fatigue or weekly rhythm. Norms are often set according to the fastest workers or simply according to management’s wishes, ignoring differences in machinery, materials, or human capacity. When orders increase, expectations rise overnight: Saturdays become mandatory, refusals are met with pressure, and temporary surges in intensity quickly solidify into permanent standards. Instead of hiring more workers, factories stretch the existing workforce through longer hours, sometimes without paying overtime. Workers note that producing less, but producing better, would improve both quality of products and well-being: current pressures lead to inferior materials, excessive dust, high rates of defects, and the destruction of unsold or rejected products that could otherwise serve social purposes.
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- +- OHS:
- +Workers describe health and safety conditions that push their bodies far beyond what is sustainable. Repetitive, high-speed work leads to growing numbers of chronic injuries and deformities, while attendance bonuses pressure people to come in sick because wages are too low to afford missing a day. Night shifts drain concentration, making accidents more likely, and when injuries do happen, production often continues uninterrupted - even in cases of severe harm. Management avoids calling emergency services to “protect the company’s image". Outdated machinery from decades past further increases risk. Protective equipment is usually introduced only after an accident, not as prevention, and extreme heat forces workers to remove mandatory uniforms just to stay conscious. Breaks are too short to rest, eat, or recover, and workers insist that an eight-hour production shift is simply too long for the level of focus and physical strain their jobs demand.
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- +- Climate:
- +Workers describe extreme heat as a growing and unbearable reality, one that management often conceals rather than addresses. Thermometers don't work properly or they are placed where drafts artificially lower readings, and dress codes prohibit lighter clothing even when temperatures become dangerous. Workers report that temperatures in the production halls routinely reach 38°C in summer, far above the legal limit of 28°C, while winters are bitterly cold. They explain that the factory’s own thermometer shows artificially lower readings, forcing them to buy their own device just to document the real conditions. Despite clear legal standards, employers disregard temperature regulations entirely, leaving workers exposed to dangerous heat and severe cold without meaningful protection. Cold water is no longer provided, and in the hottest periods people routinely faint, with ambulances arriving while production continues uninterrupted. The journey to work in severe heat only adds another layer of strain. Ventilation systems frequently “break,” but repairs and filter replacements are delayed because they are considered too costly. Some production areas have no ventilation at all, while outdated cooling systems can no longer cope with increasingly hotter summers. In facilities processing cotton, air-conditioning and humidity are calibrated to suit the machines and materials—not the workers—creating environments where the needs of production override the basic safety and comfort of the people performing it.
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- +- How would just production look?
- +In a just version of this industry, workers say the difference would be visible from the moment they step into the factory. Communication would be honest and collaborative rather than dismissive or fear-based. Production norms and working hours would be reduced to reflect human limits, with more frequent and real breaks to prevent exhaustion. Workload would be organized more fairly, recognizing that not all tasks or workers face the same pressures. Modern machines and proper climate control would replace outdated equipment and dangerous temperatures, because safe production is impossible without functioning cooling and ventilation. Workers also emphasize the need for qualified staff to plan and coordinate production, and for their own voices to be included in those decisions. They call for full transparency, especially in companies receiving state subsidies, so that workers and the public know how resources are used. Above all, their priorities converge around four pillars: fair wages, safe and humane working conditions, a respectful and responsive work environment, and long-term protection of workers’ health and safety.