As Croatia and Uzbekistan strengthen cooperation on employment and labour mobility, the BWI-affiliated Croatian Construction Workers’ Trade Union stressed that protecting workers’ rights, ensuring safe working conditions, and guaranteeing fair treatment must be central to the recruitment and employment of migrant construction workers.

“The responsible employment of both domestic and foreign construction workers in Croatia should be based on the rights established under the Collective Agreement for the Construction Industry,” said Domagoj Ferdebar, General Secretary of the Croatian Construction Workers’ Trade Union. “It is essential to continue developing a system that informs workers about their rights under the collective agreement, particularly regarding occupational health and safety, working hours, wages, employment benefits and the right to organise in trade unions.”

Ferdebar made the statement during a meeting hosted by the Croatian Employers’ Association’s Construction Employers Association with a delegation from the Migration Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan and representatives of Croatia’s construction sector. The visit, which included a tour of Radnik d.d. in Križevci and meetings with Uzbek workers already employed in Croatia, followed the signing of an intergovernmental cooperation agreement on labour and employment. With labour shortages driving demand for foreign workers, the discussions covered responsible recruitment, vocational training before workers’ arrival, and more efficient procedures for work permits and visas.

Trade unionists stressed that labour mobility must go hand in hand with enforceable rights and access to information, ensuring that migrant workers are not only recruited to fill labour shortages but also protected, treated fairly and able to exercise their rights at work. In Croatia, the Sindikat graditeljstva Hrvatske (SGH) demonstrates how trade unions can connect workers across countries of origin and destination, moving beyond individual cases to build a more sustainable system of representation and protection. By organising migrant workers and giving them a collective voice, SGH helps them understand their contracts, recover unpaid wages, document working hours, report safety concerns, and access complaint and compensation mechanisms.

BWI is working closely with SGH to reach migrant construction workers from outside Europe, including those from India, Nepal, Türkiye, the Philippines and African countries. In November 2024, BWI, SGH and the Tamil Nadu Construction Workers’ Union organized a two-day programme in Croatia. It brought together around 40 workers from India and Nepal, including workers from Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The initiative gave workers a chance to share their experiences, learn about trade union protection, and build links between unions in their countries of origin and destination. Workers also learned that Croatia has a national sectoral collective agreement for the construction industry. They received information about the wages, allowances, working hours, overtime payments, and other rights and benefits to which they are entitled.

BWI said that it will continue supporting migrant workers' rights by connecting them with trade unions in both their countries of origin and destination. The recently established cooperation between Croatia and Uzbekistan offers an important opportunity for this work. It said that it will focus on preventing labour exploitation and ensuring the full application of international labour standards, including the fundamental rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. By strengthening cross-border union cooperation, BWI and its affiliates aim to ensure that migrant workers are not only protected when violations occur, but are also organised, informed, and empowered to defend their rights collectively.