Pursuant to the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 77 of 05 September 2025, a new Special Collective Agreement (hereinafter: the “SCA”) has been published. The SCA applies to employers whose predominant business activity falls within the field of construction and the construction materials industry.
Key novelties compared to the 2024 SCA:
- Amendment of the provision on increased wages – Article 79 of the new SCA refers to the law/general act/employment contract, without explicitly stipulating minimum percentages. By contrast, the 2024 SCA prescribed specific minimums (e.g. 120% for work on public holidays, 30% for night work, 26% for overtime work, etc.);
- Amendment of Article 84 of the SCA – the new Article 84 regulates per diem allowances and field allowances, but no longer contains provisions on reimbursement of commuting costs (now subject to the law and/or employer’s general act). The 2024 SCA explicitly prescribed reimbursement in the amount of the price of a monthly or single transport ticket;
- Introduction of a MANDATORY insurance obligation – the new SCA obliges the employer to insure employees against work-related injuries and occupational diseases, whereas the 2024 SCA regulated this only as an option available to the employer (“may, at its own expense, collectively insure…”);
- Narrowing of the scope of paid leave – the new SCA exhaustively lists the cases in which employees are entitled to paid leave under Article 50, but omits the entitlement to two days of paid leave in case of death of the employee’s spouse’s parent/adoptive parent, spouse’s brother/sister, or their children, which was explicitly provided under the 2024 SCA.
Validity, entry into force and application:
- The SCA is concluded for a period of one year and enters into force on the eighth day following its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia;
- In case of termination of the SCA, it remains applicable for an additional 30 days, with a statutory obligation to commence negotiations within the prescribed period;
- Employers’ general acts and employment contracts must be harmonized within 90 days from the entry into force of the SCA;
- The parties to the SCA have agreed to jointly request extended application of the SCA to employers who are not members of the Employers’ Association of the Union of Employers of Serbia.
Scope of application of the SCA and its mandatory effect:
- The SCA applies to all employers whose predominant business activity falls within the field of construction and the construction materials industry (Annex 1 to the SCA contains the classification of activities), as well as to their employees, provided that such employers are members of the Union of Employers of Serbia;
- Should the Government adopt a decision on the extended application of the SCA pursuant to Article 257 of the Labour Law (Official Gazette of the RS, Nos. 24/2005, 61/2005, 54/2009, 32/2013, 75/2014, 13/2017 – Constitutional Court Decision, 113/2017 and 95/2018 – Authentic Interpretation), the SCA shall become binding also on employers who are not members of the Union of Employers of Serbia.
For additional information or consultations, the Tasić & Partners team is at your disposal.