Since 1991 when the Metal Workers Branch Union “Nezavisnost” was founded, together with its supreme organization called United Branch Unions “Nezavisnost”, it has made successful contacts and has developed an international cooperation of unions with fraternal and democratic unions throughout the world.

Since its founding, the need of MWBU “Nezavisnost” to establish intense cooperation with unions from other countries, was conditioned and restricted by time and socio-political environment from which it originated and worked in for a longer time period. That was the period of Slobodan Milosevic’s governing repressive regime, restricting human, civil, union and political rights and freedom.

The time when the war was raging on these territories, time of the exodus and long queues of refugees, destructions of the entire factories and industries … That was the period when Serbia was sanctioned, because of the policy pursued by ruling oligarchy, time of isolation and sanctions imposed by the International Community and the UN. The citizens were then at the bounds of social and psychological endurance, namely, “on the edge of an abyss”. For those reasons, the international cooperation with other unions was unavoidable and enabled the MWBU “Nezavisnost” to be ready for changes that took place and were still going on, through the exchange of experience, systematic and planned education and solidarity …, namely, for the transition process.

On the other hand, the intense international cooperation of MWBU “Nezavisnost” was inspired by the intention to show the world that “Serbia was not Slobodan Milosevic”, that Serbia was not party’s army, party’s police, party’s spies, political commissars, pyramidal banks, corruption, hyperinflation and pro government’s “yellow” unions… , but that there existed progressive democratic forces in Serbia fighting and struggling for a different Serbia. A democratic Serbia, i.e. Serbia in which human and civil rights will be respected, Serbia of tolerances, a country in which its citizens will live better and will have good prospects. The world has, to a great extent, through the assistance of MWBU “Nezavisnost”, learned about the existence of such forces that see Serbia in the near future as an integral part of the European Union and International Community, and not as Serbia in isolation and excluded from all international institutions and beyond all courses of events.

In the past 15 years the UBU “Nezavisnost” and MWBU “Nezavisnost” had established cooperation with many union organizations: ICFTU, ETUC, AFL-CIO, DGB, OGB, CGT, CGL, CISL, CCO …

The MWBU “Nezavisnost” had established an intense cooperation with the following unions: IMF, Geneva, EMF, Brussels, IGM, Germany, GMT, Austria, USWSAD, CCOO, Katalonia, Spain, FIM-CISL, Italy, CGT-FTM, France, Metalici, Bulgaria, KOVO, Slovakia, KOVO, Czech Republic, SOLIDARNOST, Poland …

The MWBU “Nezavisnost” devoted special attention to establishing a neighborly and friendly relations with metal workers’ unions from the republics of former SFRY, broken off during the period of war turbulences on those territories. A friendly cooperation was established with: SPMK, Kosovo, SM, Bosnia & Herzegovina, SMH, Croatia, SMER, Macedonia, SKEI, Slovenia, SMIR, Republika Srpska, SM, Montenegro.