unITed - To Protect Ourselves

Industrija koja štiti sve osim ljudi koji je grade

IT industrija je naučila da štiti kod, podatke, infrastrukturu, intelektualnu svojinu, poslovne procese i interese klijenata. Mnogo slabije je naučila da štiti ljude koji sve to stvaraju.

Programeri, dizajneri, sistemski inženjeri, administratori, stručnjaci za kvalitet, bezbednost, podatke i druge digitalne oblasti često rade u okruženju koje se predstavlja kao moderno, fleksibilno i zasnovano na znanju. Ipak, kada nastanu ozbiljni problemi u radnom odnosu, zaposleni se neretko vraćaju u veoma tradicionalan položaj: ostaju sami naspram organizacije koja raspolaže pravnicima, procedurama, informacijama i mogućnošću da odluku predstavi kao već završenu stvar.

Dok industrija raste, dok postoji velika potražnja za stručnjacima i dok se poslovi relativno lako menjaju, ovaj odnos moći može ostati nevidljiv. Visoka plata, neformalna komunikacija, rad od kuće, fleksibilno radno vreme i privid ravnopravnosti stvaraju osećaj da kolektivna zaštita nije potrebna.

Problem postaje vidljiv tek kada tržište uspori.

Tada se pojavljuju talasi otpuštanja, zamrzavanje zapošljavanja, smanjenje timova, reorganizacije, promene ugovora, prebacivanje zaposlenih na druge pozicije, pritisci da se prihvate lošiji uslovi i takozvani dobrovoljni odlasci koji često nisu potpuno dobrovoljni.

U tom trenutku pojedinac obično shvati da njegovo znanje, iskustvo i raniji doprinos kompaniji ne predstavljaju istu vrstu moći kao organizovana pravna, finansijska i upravljačka struktura poslodavca.

Upravo iz tog nesklada nastala je ideja unITed.

Kada zaposleni ostane sam

Jedna od tipičnih situacija izgleda jednostavno.

Zaposleni bude pozvan na razgovor. Saopšti mu se da kompanija prolazi kroz reorganizaciju. Pred njega se stavi aneks ugovora, sporazum o prestanku radnog odnosa ili drugi dokument koji bi trebalo da potpiše.

Od njega se očekuje da odluku donese odmah.

On tada ne razmišlja samo o pravnom značenju dokumenta. Razmišlja o kreditu, porodici, reputaciji, narednom poslu, odnosima sa kolegama i mogućnosti da bude označen kao problematičan. Često ne zna da li ima pravo da odbije potpisivanje, koliko vremena može da traži, šta potpisivanjem gubi, da li mu pripada otpremnina i kakve posledice odluka može imati na ostvarivanje drugih prava.

Poslodavac možda postupa u skladu sa zakonom. Možda ne postupa. Zaposleni to u tom trenutku uglavnom nije u stanju samostalno da proceni.

Čak i kada formalno postoji pravo na pravnu zaštitu, ona može doći prekasno. Dokument je već potpisan, rokovi su počeli da teku, komunikacija je obavljena usmeno, a zaposleni nema zabeleženo šta mu je tačno rečeno.

Ovakva situacija nije samo individualni problem jednog radnika i jednog poslodavca. Ona pokazuje odsustvo trajne infrastrukture koja bi postojala pre nego što problem nastane.

U organizovanom sistemu zaposleni ne bi tek u trenutku krize počinjao da traži advokata, čita zakon ili pita poznanike šta da radi. Postojao bi unapred poznat kanal podrške. Znao bi kome se obraća, ko može da pregleda dokument, ko može da mu objasni posledice i ko može da ga zastupa ili prati tokom razgovora.

To je jedna od osnovnih funkcija sindikata.

Ali nije jedina.

Sindikat nije hitna pomoć posle otkaza

U domaćem javnom prostoru sindikat se često posmatra kao organizacija koja reaguje tek kada nastanu otkazi, neisplaćene zarade ili otvoreni sukob sa poslodavcem.

Takvo shvatanje je preusko.

Najvažnija funkcija dobro organizovanog sindikata nije samo rešavanje već nastalog spora. Njegov značaj je u tome što uspostavlja pravila koja smanjuju verovatnoću da do spora uopšte dođe.

Sindikat može unapred da pregovara o procedurama reorganizacije, rokovima za razmatranje dokumenata, kriterijumima za proglašavanje viška zaposlenih, načinu obračuna otpremnina i obavezi poslodavca da zaposlenima pruži razumljive informacije pre donošenja odluke.

Može da zahteva da zaposleni ne bude primoran da potpisuje dokument tokom istog sastanka na kojem mu je prvi put uručen.

Može da obezbedi pravnu podršku pre potpisivanja, a ne tek nakon nastanka posledica.

Može da definiše pravila za evaluaciju rada, promenu pozicije, napredovanje, smanjenje zarade, dežurstva, prekovremeni rad, dostupnost van radnog vremena i druge situacije koje se u IT kompanijama često uređuju neformalno ili različito od tima do tima.

Dobro organizovan sindikat zato nije samo mehanizam odbrane. On je deo profesionalne infrastrukture industrije.

Kolektivni ugovor kao standard, a ne poslednja linija odbrane

Zakon uglavnom određuje minimum prava. Kolektivni ugovor može da uspostavi viši i precizniji standard.

U IT industriji kolektivni ugovor ne bi morao da se bavi samo zaradama. Mogao bi da uređuje pitanja koja su karakteristična za digitalni rad:

platne razrede i kriterijume napredovanja;
način evaluacije rada i zaštitu od proizvoljnih ocena;
postupke tokom reorganizacije i smanjenja broja zaposlenih;
otpremnine iznad zakonskog minimuma;
prekovremeni rad, dežurstva i dostupnost van radnog vremena;
rad na daljinu i hibridne modele rada;
naknade za opremu, internet i korišćenje privatnog prostora;
stručna usavršavanja i vreme namenjeno učenju;
periode bez aktivnog projekta, odnosno takozvani bench;
zaštitu od prekomernog digitalnog nadzora;
korišćenje alata za automatsko praćenje produktivnosti;
upotrebu veštačke inteligencije u proceni i nadzoru zaposlenih;
prava u vezi sa autorskim radom, javnim portfoliom i predstavljanjem realizovanih projekata;
zabrane konkurencije i ograničenja nakon prestanka radnog odnosa;
zaštitu prijavljivača nepravilnosti;
položaj kontraktora, freelancera i drugih angažovanih stručnjaka;
odgovornost domaćih posrednika u radu za strane klijente.

Takav ugovor ne bi sprečavao kompaniju da se menja, raste ili reorganizuje. Njegova svrha bila bi da promene imaju poznata pravila i da teret poslovnih odluka ne bude jednostrano prebačen na ljude koji imaju najmanje informacija i najmanju pregovaračku moć.

Zašto IT industrija nema razvijenu sindikalnu svest

Potreba za zaštitom postoji, ali sindikalna svest u IT industriji ostaje slaba.

Jedan od razloga je dugotrajna iluzija individualne moći.

Developer koji lako dobija ponude, pregovara o dobroj plati i može da promeni posao često zaključuje da mu kolektivno organizovanje nije potrebno. Veruje da će ga tržište zaštititi bolje od bilo koje institucije.

Takav položaj traje samo dok tržište raste i dok potražnja nadmašuje ponudu. Kada se odnos promeni, individualna pregovaračka moć može nestati za nekoliko meseci, dok profesionalne institucije ne mogu nastati preko noći.

Drugi razlog je snažna identifikacija sa kompanijom.

Neformalna komunikacija, timska okupljanja, interna kultura, zajednički slogani i poruke da su zaposleni deo porodice mogu stvoriti osećaj da između radnika i poslodavca ne postoji stvarna razlika u interesima. Ta razlika ipak postaje očigledna kada kompanija mora da smanji troškove, zatvori tim ili raskine ugovore.

Treći razlog je strah od reputacionih posledica.

Zaposleni se plaše da bi sindikalno angažovanje moglo biti protumačeno kao konfliktno ponašanje, nedostatak lojalnosti ili neprijateljski odnos prema kompaniji. U industriji u kojoj se preporuke, kontakti i neformalna reputacija prenose između firmi, taj strah nije beznačajan.

Dodatni problem predstavlja fragmentacija.

U istom profesionalnom prostoru nalaze se zaposleni, freelanceri, samostalni preduzetnici, vlasnici mikrofirmi, kontraktori, konsultanti i ljudi angažovani preko domaćih ili stranih posrednika. Jedna osoba tokom nekoliko godina može promeniti više ovih uloga.

Zbog toga se ljudi koji su deo istog sistema digitalnog rada često međusobno ne prepoznaju kao grupa koja ima zajedničke interese.

Postoji i nasleđeno nepoverenje prema samoj reči "sindikat".

Sindikat se često povezuje sa partijskom politikom, javnim sektorom, fabrikama, birokratijom, privilegovanim predstavnicima i organizacijama koje se aktiviraju samo tokom štrajka. Mnogi IT stručnjaci zbog toga odbacuju sindikalni model pre nego što razmotre njegove stvarne funkcije.

Konačno, IT industriju karakteriše kultura tajnosti.

Zaposleni retko otvoreno razgovaraju o zaradama, otpremninama, uslovima odlaska, posredničkim maržama, stvarnim razlozima reorganizacije i razlikama u uslovima koje kompanija nudi različitim ljudima.

Bez razmene informacija svaki zaposleni svoj problem doživljava kao izolovan slučaj. Ne vidi obrazac i ne može da proceni da li se isto događa drugim ljudima.

Sindikalna svest počinje upravo prepoznavanjem tog obrasca.

Šta je unITed trebalo da bude

unITed nije zamišljen kao klasičan sindikat nastao oko jedne kompanije, jednog poslodavca ili jednog pojedinačnog spora.

Ideja je bila stvaranje savremene profesionalne strukture za ljude koji rade u IT i digitalnoj industriji.

Njena svrha ne bi bila da proizvodi sukob između zaposlenih i poslodavaca, već da uspostavi sistem u kojem obe strane imaju jasna predstavništva, poznata pravila i mogućnost organizovanog pregovaranja.

Inspiracija je pronađena u skandinavskim modelima socijalnog partnerstva, u kojima su i zaposleni i poslodavci snažno organizovani. Oni ne pripadaju istoj organizaciji i nemaju iste interese, ali učestvuju u zajedničkom sistemu pregovaranja i preuzimaju odgovornost za stabilnost tržišta rada.

U takvom modelu poslodavac nije unapred predstavljen kao neprijatelj, niti je zaposleni predstavljen samo kao žrtva.

Postoji priznanje da kompanije moraju biti održive, konkurentne i sposobne da se prilagođavaju. Istovremeno postoji priznanje da se prilagođavanje ne može zasnivati na neograničenom prebacivanju rizika na zaposlene.

unITed je trebalo da razvija upravo takvu ravnotežu.

Ne protiv poslodavaca, nego protiv loših pravila

IT industrija u Srbiji, Bosni i Hercegovini i širem regionu ne sastoji se samo od velikih kompanija i zaposlenih u njima.

Veliki deo industrije čine male agencije, razvojni studiji, samostalni stručnjaci i mikrokompanije koje se i same nalaze u nepovoljnom položaju prema velikim domaćim ili stranim klijentima.

Mali poslodavac može istovremeno biti vlasnik firme, developer, projektni menadžer, prodavac i osoba koja snosi finansijski rizik za nekoliko zaposlenih. Takav poslodavac često nema mnogo veću pregovaračku moć od ljudi koji rade za njega.

Zbog toga unITed nije zamišljen na jednostavnoj podeli prema kojoj su radnici jedna strana, a svi poslodavci druga.

Osnovna ideja bila je da profesionalni rad mora imati jasna, transparentna i održiva pravila bez obzira na to sa koje strane ugovora se pojedinac trenutno nalazi.

Čovek danas može biti zaposleni programer, sutra samostalni kontraktor, a nekoliko godina kasnije vlasnik malog razvojnog tima. Njegova odgovornost prema drugim ljudima menja se zajedno sa ulogom, ali potreba za uređenim tržištem ostaje ista.

Zbog toga bi unITed, pored zaštite zaposlenih, podsticao i odgovorno poslovanje, etički outsourcing, transparentne ugovore i jasnije odnose između klijenata, posrednika, malih firmi i izvršilaca.

Cilj ne bi bio sprečavanje poslovanja, već sprečavanje modela u kojima netransparentnost postaje glavni izvor profita.

Šta bi unITed radio u praksi

unITed je zamišljen kao struktura sa nekoliko međusobno povezanih funkcija.

Prva bi bila pravna podrška članovima.

Član bi mogao da dobije objašnjenje ugovora, aneksa, sporazuma o prestanku radnog odnosa, zabrane konkurencije ili drugog dokumenta pre nego što ga potpiše. U ozbiljnijim situacijama mogao bi da dobije zastupanje ili podršku tokom razgovora sa poslodavcem.

Druga funkcija bila bi kolektivno pregovaranje.

Sindikat bi pregovarao sa kompanijama i udruženjima poslodavaca o standardima koji prevazilaze zakonski minimum. Vremenom bi mogao razvijati modele kolektivnih ugovora prilagođene različitim tipovima IT kompanija.

Treća funkcija bila bi informisanje i obrazovanje.

Zaposleni bi trebalo da poznaju svoja prava pre nego što se nađu u problemu. Poslodavci bi trebalo da imaju pristup jasnim i odgovornim procedurama koje smanjuju rizik od sporova.

Četvrta funkcija bila bi prikupljanje podataka.

Bez pouzdanih podataka nije moguće razumeti stanje industrije. Potrebne su informacije o zaradama, uslovima rada, otpremninama, radnom vremenu, vrstama ugovora, posredničkim modelima, čestim sporovima i efektima reorganizacija.

Takvi podaci ne bi služili za javno izlaganje pojedinaca ili kompanija, već za utvrđivanje realnih standarda i obrazaca.

Peta funkcija bila bi profesionalno povezivanje.

Sindikat bi mogao da povezuje zaposlene, freelancere, male firme i stručna udruženja, uz jasno razdvajanje njihovih uloga i interesa. Cilj bi bio stvaranje stabilnog profesionalnog ekosistema, a ne samo reagovanje u kriznim situacijama.

Srbija i Bosna i Hercegovina

Ideja je razmatrana kao dve odvojene organizacione inicijative: jedna u Srbiji, druga u Bosni i Hercegovini.

Razlog nije samo administrativan. Dve države imaju različite pravne sisteme, propise, institucije i procedure za osnivanje i delovanje sindikata.

Zajednički bi mogli biti principi, iskustva, modeli dokumenata i dugoročna vizija regionalne saradnje.

Lokalne organizacije morale bi, međutim, imati sopstveni naziv, rukovodstvo, pravnu strukturu, članstvo, identitet i odgovornost.

Takav pristup omogućio bi da inicijative rastu organski i u skladu sa stvarnim uslovima u svakoj državi, umesto da od početka pokušavaju da formiraju veliku regionalnu organizaciju bez lokalnih temelja.

Pokušaj koji nije postao organizacija

Ideja unITed nije ostala samo na nazivu i logotipu.

Mogućnosti osnivanja sindikata bile su istraživane. Razmatrani su pravni i organizacioni modeli za Srbiju i Bosnu i Hercegovinu. Vođeni su razgovori sa ljudima koji poznaju sindikalno organizovanje i radno pravo.

U Srbiji je održan i razgovor sa pravnicima jedne sindikalne organizacije. Postojala je spremnost da se inicijativi pruži besplatna pravna pomoć u procesu organizovanja i uspostavljanja odgovarajuće strukture.

To je pokazalo da ideja nije bila pravno nemoguća niti potpuno usamljena.

Problem nije bio u tome što nije postojao način da se organizacija pokrene.

Problem je bio u obimu posla koji bi usledio nakon osnivanja.

Sindikat se ne stvara registracijom, logotipom i internet stranicom. Potrebno je okupljati ljude, graditi poverenje, razgovarati sa kompanijama, objašnjavati svrhu organizacije, rešavati pojedinačne slučajeve, obezbeđivati pravnu podršku, sprečavati političku instrumentalizaciju i iznova dokazivati da sindikat nije protivnik industrije kojoj pripada.

Takav posao zahteva dugoročnu i gotovo potpunu posvećenost.

Zašto ja neću osnovati unITed

Od ove ideje nisam odustao zato što sam zaključio da sindikat IT radnika nije potreban.

Odustao sam zato što sam zaključio da je potreban ozbiljnije nego što bih ja mogao da mu se posvetim.

Osnivanje organizacije bilo bi tek početak. Nakon toga bi usledile godine razgovora, ubeđivanja, rešavanja konflikata, izgradnje članstva i borbe sa domaćim nepoverenjem prema sindikatima, kolektivnom organizovanju i svakoj inicijativi koja zahteva dugoročnu zajedničku odgovornost.

Nemam vremena da taj proces vodim na način koji bi bio odgovoran prema ljudima koji bi u organizaciju ušli očekujući stvarnu pomoć.

Ne želim da pokrenem još jedno udruženje koje postoji samo formalno. Ne želim da napravim strukturu koja bi zavisila od jednog čoveka, njegovog vremena i njegove energije. Ne želim da ljudima obećavam zaštitu koju organizacija još nije sposobna da pruži.

Zbog toga odustajem od uloge osnivača i organizatora.

Ne odustajem od zaključka da je ovakva organizacija potrebna.

Ideja može da bude nastavljena - pod drugim imenom

Ideja o savremenom sindikalnom organizovanju u IT industriji ostaje dostupna svakome ko ima vreme, energiju, znanje i strpljenje da je razvije.

Neko drugi može da preuzme osnovne principe, da ih prilagodi lokalnim okolnostima, proširi organizacioni model i pokrene sopstvenu inicijativu. Može osnovati sindikat, profesionalno udruženje ili drugačiju strukturu koja bi povezivala zaposlene, samostalne stručnjake, male firme i odgovorne poslodavce.

Ali ta inicijativa treba da ima svoje ime, svoj identitet, svoj domen i svoj slogan.

Naziv unITed, njegov vizuelni identitet i slogan To Protect Ourselves ostaju vezani za ovu autorsku inicijativu i za period u kojem je ideja istraživana i razvijana. Oni se ne nude kao gotov brend budućoj organizaciji.

Ono što se ostavlja drugima nije organizacija, niti njen identitet, već zaključak da je takva vrsta organizovanja potrebna - zajedno sa početnim razmišljanjima o njenoj svrsi, funkcijama i mogućem načinu rada.

Ovaj sajt zato neće predstavljati aktivan sindikat niti najavu njegovog budućeg osnivanja.

Ostaće kao trag jedne aktivističke inicijative, dokument ideje i svedočanstvo da je problem bio prepoznat, da su mogućnosti bile istraživane i da je postojao pokušaj da se zamisli drugačiji model profesionalnog organizovanja u IT industriji.

Možda će nekome poslužiti kao podsticaj da pokrene sopstvenu inicijativu.

Ne kao nastavak unITed-a, već kao novu organizaciju, sa sopstvenim ljudima, odgovornošću i identitetom.

unITed - To Protect Ourselves

Dejan S. Višekruna
29. jul 2026.

An Industry That Protects Everything Except the People Who Build It

The IT industry has learned how to protect code, data, infrastructure, intellectual property, business processes, and client interests. It has been far less successful at protecting the people who create all of them.

Software developers, designers, systems engineers, administrators, quality assurance professionals, cybersecurity specialists, data professionals, and others working across the digital sector often operate in environments presented as modern, flexible, and knowledge-driven. Yet when serious employment issues arise, employees frequently find themselves in a very traditional position: standing alone against an organization that has legal counsel, established procedures, access to information, and the ability to present its decision as a fait accompli.

While the industry is growing, demand for professionals is high, and changing jobs remains relatively easy, this imbalance of power can remain invisible. High salaries, informal communication, remote work, flexible schedules, and the appearance of equality can create the impression that collective protection is unnecessary.

The problem becomes visible only when the market slows down.

That is when waves of layoffs, hiring freezes, team reductions, reorganizations, contract changes, transfers to different positions, pressure to accept less favorable terms, and so-called voluntary departures begin to appear-departures that are often not entirely voluntary.

At that point, individuals usually realize that their expertise, experience, and past contributions to the company do not carry the same kind of power as the employer’s organized legal, financial, and management structure.

The idea of unITed emerged from that imbalance.

When an Employee Is Left to Face the Situation Alone

One common scenario appears straightforward.

An employee is called into a meeting and informed that the company is undergoing a reorganization. An employment contract addendum, a mutual termination agreement, or another document is placed in front of them for signature.

They are expected to make a decision immediately.

At that moment, the employee is not thinking only about the legal meaning of the document. They are thinking about their mortgage, their family, their professional reputation, their next job, their relationships with colleagues, and the possibility of being labeled difficult or uncooperative. They often do not know whether they have the right to refuse to sign, how much time they are entitled to request, what rights they may waive by signing, whether they are entitled to severance pay, or how the decision may affect their eligibility for other benefits and protections.

The employer may be acting lawfully. It may not be. In that moment, the employee is rarely in a position to make that assessment independently.

Even when legal remedies formally exist, they may come too late. The document has already been signed, legal deadlines have begun to run, important communication took place verbally, and the employee has no reliable record of what was actually said.

This is not merely an individual dispute between one employee and one employer. It reveals the absence of a permanent support structure that should exist before the problem occurs.

In an organized system, an employee would not begin searching for an attorney, reading labor law, or asking acquaintances for advice only after the crisis had already begun. A clearly defined support channel would already exist. The employee would know whom to contact, who could review the document, who could explain its consequences, and who could represent or accompany them during the meeting.

That is one of the fundamental functions of a labor union.

But it is not the only one.

A Labor Union Is Not Emergency Assistance After a Layoff

In the local public discourse, labor unions are often viewed as organizations that respond only after layoffs, unpaid wages, or open conflict with an employer have already occurred.

That understanding is far too narrow.

The most important function of a well-organized labor union is not simply to resolve disputes after they arise. Its value lies in establishing rules that reduce the likelihood of those disputes arising in the first place.

A union can negotiate reorganization procedures, review periods for employment documents, criteria for workforce reductions, severance calculations, and an employer’s obligation to provide employees with clear and understandable information before decisions are made.

It can require that employees not be pressured to sign a document during the same meeting in which they receive it for the first time.

It can provide legal support before a document is signed, rather than only after the consequences have already taken effect.

It can establish rules for performance evaluations, position changes, promotions, salary reductions, on-call duties, overtime, after-hours availability, and other matters that IT companies often manage informally or inconsistently across teams.

A well-organized union is therefore not merely a defensive mechanism. It is part of the industry’s professional infrastructure.

A Collective Bargaining Agreement as a Standard, Not a Last Line of Defense

Labor law generally establishes minimum rights. A collective bargaining agreement can establish a higher and more precise standard.

In the IT industry, a collective bargaining agreement would not need to focus only on compensation. It could address matters specific to digital work, including:

salary bands and promotion criteria;
performance evaluation procedures and protection against arbitrary ratings;
procedures during reorganizations and workforce reductions;
severance packages above the statutory minimum;
overtime, on-call work, and after-hours availability;
remote and hybrid work arrangements;
allowances for equipment, internet service, and the use of private workspace;
professional development and dedicated learning time;
periods without an active client assignment, commonly known as bench time;
protection against excessive digital surveillance;
the use of automated productivity-monitoring tools;
the use of artificial intelligence in employee evaluation and monitoring;
rights related to authorship, public portfolios, and the presentation of completed projects;
non-compete clauses and post-employment restrictions;
whistleblower protection;
the status of contractors, freelancers, and other independently engaged professionals;
the responsibilities of local intermediaries in engagements involving foreign clients.

Such an agreement would not prevent a company from changing, growing, or reorganizing. Its purpose would be to ensure that changes follow known rules and that the burden of business decisions is not transferred entirely to the people who have the least information and the least bargaining power.

Why the IT Industry Has Not Developed a Strong Union Culture

The need for protection exists, but union awareness in the IT industry remains weak.

One reason is the long-standing illusion of individual bargaining power.

A software developer who receives frequent offers, negotiates a strong salary, and can change jobs easily often concludes that collective organization is unnecessary. They believe the market will protect them better than any institution could.

That position lasts only while the market is growing and demand exceeds supply. When the balance shifts, individual bargaining power can disappear within a matter of months, while professional institutions cannot be created overnight.

Another reason is strong identification with the company.

Informal communication, team events, internal culture, shared slogans, and messages that employees are part of a family can create the impression that there is no meaningful difference between the interests of workers and the interests of the employer. That difference becomes clear when the company must reduce costs, shut down a team, or terminate employment agreements.

A third reason is fear of reputational consequences.

Employees worry that union involvement may be interpreted as confrontational behavior, disloyalty, or hostility toward the company. In an industry where recommendations, professional networks, and informal reputations travel between companies, that concern is not insignificant.

Fragmentation is another major problem.

The same professional environment includes employees, freelancers, sole proprietors, microbusiness owners, contractors, consultants, and professionals engaged through local or foreign intermediaries. One person may move through several of these roles over the course of only a few years.

As a result, people who participate in the same system of digital work often fail to recognize themselves as a group with shared interests.

There is also an inherited distrust of the very term "labor union."

Labor unions are often associated with party politics, the public sector, factories, bureaucracy, privileged union officials, and organizations that become visible only during strikes. Many IT professionals therefore reject the union model before considering what functions a modern union could actually perform.

Finally, the IT industry is characterized by a culture of secrecy.

Employees rarely discuss salaries, severance packages, departure terms, intermediary margins, the real reasons behind reorganizations, or differences in the terms offered to different people.

Without the exchange of information, each employee experiences their problem as an isolated case. They cannot see the broader pattern or determine whether the same thing is happening to others.

Union awareness begins with recognizing that pattern.

What unITed Was Intended to Be

unITed was not conceived as a traditional labor union formed around a single company, one employer, or one individual dispute.

The idea was to create a modern professional structure for people working across the IT and digital industries.

Its purpose would not have been to create conflict between employees and employers, but to establish a system in which both sides had clear representation, known rules, and the ability to engage in organized negotiations.

The concept drew inspiration from Scandinavian social partnership models, in which both employees and employers are strongly organized. They do not belong to the same organization and do not have identical interests, but they participate in a shared bargaining system and accept responsibility for the stability of the labor market.

In such a model, the employer is not automatically portrayed as the enemy, nor is the employee portrayed only as a victim.

There is recognition that companies must remain sustainable, competitive, and capable of adapting. At the same time, there is recognition that adaptation cannot be based on transferring unlimited risk to employees.

unITed was intended to develop precisely that balance.

Not Against Employers, but Against Bad Rules

The IT industry in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the broader region is not made up only of large companies and their employees.

A substantial part of the industry consists of small agencies, software development studios, independent professionals, and microbusinesses that may themselves be in a disadvantaged position when dealing with large domestic or foreign clients.

A small employer may simultaneously be the business owner, a software developer, a project manager, a salesperson, and the person carrying the financial risk for several employees. That employer may have only slightly more bargaining power than the people working for the company.

For that reason, unITed was not built around a simplistic division in which workers were on one side and all employers were on the other.

The central idea was that professional work requires clear, transparent, and sustainable rules, regardless of which side of the contract an individual currently occupies.

A person may be an employed software developer today, an independent contractor tomorrow, and the owner of a small development team several years later. Their responsibilities toward other people change with their role, but the need for an orderly and fair market remains the same.

For this reason, in addition to protecting employees, unITed would have promoted responsible business practices, ethical outsourcing, transparent contracts, and clearer relationships among clients, intermediaries, small firms, and the professionals performing the work.

The goal would not have been to obstruct business, but to prevent business models in which opacity becomes the primary source of profit.

What unITed Would Have Done in Practice

unITed was conceived as a structure with several interconnected functions.

The first would have been legal support for members.

A member could have received an explanation of an employment agreement, contract addendum, mutual termination agreement, non-compete clause, or other document before signing it. In more serious situations, the member could have received representation or support during discussions with the employer.

The second function would have been collective bargaining.

The union would have negotiated with companies and employer associations over standards exceeding the statutory minimum. Over time, it could have developed model collective bargaining agreements tailored to different types of IT companies.

The third function would have been information and education.

Employees should understand their rights before they encounter a problem. Employers should have access to clear and responsible procedures that reduce the risk of disputes.

The fourth function would have been data collection.

Without reliable data, it is impossible to understand the actual state of the industry. Information is needed on compensation, working conditions, severance packages, working hours, types of contracts, intermediary models, common disputes, and the effects of reorganizations.

Such data would not have been used to publicly expose individuals or companies, but to identify realistic standards and recurring patterns.

The fifth function would have been professional connection and cooperation.

The union could have connected employees, freelancers, small firms, and professional associations while clearly distinguishing their respective roles and interests. The objective would have been to create a stable professional ecosystem, not merely to respond to crises.

Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

The idea was considered as two separate organizational initiatives: one in Serbia and one in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The reason was not merely administrative. The two countries have different legal systems, regulations, institutions, and procedures governing the formation and operation of labor unions.

They could have shared principles, experience, document templates, and a long-term vision for regional cooperation.

Each local organization, however, would have needed its own name, leadership, legal structure, membership, identity, and accountability.

This approach would have allowed the initiatives to grow organically and in accordance with the actual conditions in each country, rather than attempting from the outset to create a large regional organization without strong local foundations.

An Attempt That Never Became an Organization

The unITed idea did not remain limited to a name and a logo.

The possibilities for establishing a labor union were researched. Legal and organizational models for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were considered. Discussions were held with people familiar with labor organizing and employment law.

In Serbia, a meeting was also held with attorneys from a labor union organization. They expressed a willingness to provide the initiative with pro bono legal assistance during the process of organizing and establishing an appropriate legal structure.

This demonstrated that the idea was neither legally impossible nor entirely unsupported.

The problem was not the absence of a legal path for launching the organization.

The problem was the scale of the work that would have followed its establishment.

A labor union is not created through registration, a logo, and a website. It requires bringing people together, building trust, engaging with companies, explaining the organization’s purpose, handling individual cases, securing legal support, preventing political capture, and repeatedly demonstrating that the union is not an enemy of the industry it represents.

That kind of work requires long-term and nearly full-time commitment.

Why I Will Not Establish unITed

I did not abandon this idea because I concluded that an IT workers’ union was unnecessary.

I stepped away because I concluded that it was needed more seriously than I could responsibly commit myself to it.

Establishing the organization would have been only the beginning. It would have been followed by years of conversations, persuasion, conflict resolution, membership development, and resistance to the widespread local distrust of labor unions, collective organization, and any initiative requiring sustained shared responsibility.

I do not have the time to lead that process in a way that would be responsible to the people joining the organization with the expectation of receiving genuine support.

I do not want to create another association that exists only on paper. I do not want to build a structure dependent on one person, that person’s time, and that person’s energy. I do not want to promise people protection that the organization is not yet capable of providing.

For that reason, I am stepping away from the role of founder and organizer.

I am not stepping away from the conclusion that an organization of this kind is necessary.

The Idea Can Continue - Under a Different Name

The idea of modern labor organization in the IT industry remains available to anyone with the time, energy, knowledge, and patience to develop it.

Someone else may adopt the underlying principles, adapt them to local conditions, expand the organizational model, and launch an independent initiative. They may establish a labor union, a professional association, or another structure connecting employees, independent professionals, small firms, and responsible employers.

That initiative, however, should have its own name, its own identity, its own domain, and its own slogan.

The name unITed, its visual identity, and the slogan To Protect Ourselves remain associated with this original initiative and with the period during which the concept was researched and developed. They are not being offered as a ready-made brand for a future organization.

What is being left to others is not the organization or its identity, but the conclusion that this form of professional organization is necessary-together with the initial thinking about its purpose, functions, and possible operating model.

This website will therefore not represent an active labor union or announce its future establishment.

It will remain as a record of an activist initiative, a document of the idea, and evidence that the problem was recognized, that the available options were explored, and that an attempt was made to envision a different model of professional organization in the IT industry.

Perhaps it will encourage someone to launch an initiative of their own.

Not as a continuation of unITed, but as a new organization with its own people, responsibilities, and identity.

unITed - To Protect Ourselves

Dejan S. Višekruna
July 29, 2026