Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions President Ranka Savic told BETA that before official talks with the government, Labor and Social Policy Minister Rasim Ljajic had informed union representatives that their main demands could not be met.

"They didn't accept our demand that the average pension should not be less than 60 percent of the average wage. We did not even manage to maintain the reduced number of years of service for miners," said Savic.

Talks with the government, in which representatives of four trade unions were supposed to participate, were not even held.

The collecting of signatures in support of bringing down the government will begin in Belgrade and all other major towns and cities in Serbia.

The government withdrew amendments and additions to the Pension and Disability Insurance Law from parliamentary procedure on Oct. 22. It had earlier come to an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on that draft.