It also provides for special status and rights for the small Romany community, which are observed in practice. Minorities are treated fairly in practice as well as in law. The Constitution stipulates that trade unions, their operation, and their membership shall be free and provides for the right to strike. Virtually all workers, except police and military personnel, are eligible to form and join labor organizations. In 1993 the State Assembly for the first time passed legislation restricting strikes by some public sector employees.
Labor has two main groupings, with constituent branches throughout the country.
A third, much smaller, regional labor union operates on the Adriatic coast. Unions are formally and actually independent of the Government and political parties, but individual union members hold positions in the legislature. There are no restrictions on unions joining or forming federations and affiliating with like-minded international union organizations. In the transition to a fully market-based economy, the collective bargaining process is undergoing change. Formerly, the old Yugoslav Government had a dominant role in setting the minimum wage and conditions of work.