22. 12. 2023.

Upon invitation of the Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes of Montenegro, the Annual Training for Conciliators and Arbitrators of Montenegro was held in Podgorica on December 20 and 21, 2023, attended by representatives of the Public Institution (PU) Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes of the Republic of Srpska in addition to the delegation of our Agency, representatives of trade unions and employers in Montenegro, as well as regional representatives of the International Labor Organization.

The training was opened by Enesa Rastoder, Director of this Agency, who indicated the importance of the work of the Agency for Montenegro, but also the existence of institutions for the peaceful resolution of labor disputes in the region and long-term good cooperation. Representatives of the Association of Free Trade Unions and the Association of Employers confirmed the tripartite spirit of these institutions to those present. Velibor Mikać, Director of the PU "Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes" from Banja Luka, and Ivica Lazović, Director of our Agency, also gave welcome speeches.

In the two-day working part, which was rich in panel discussions, numerous topics were covered, such as: (1) Experiences from the region on the importance and role of peaceful settlement of labor disputes, with a special overview of the practice of the Federal Conciliation Service of the United States of America, (2) case studies of peaceful settlement of labor disputes in Montenegro, the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, (3) collective labor disputes - the difference between individual and collective labor disputes – practice, (4) negotiation skills, (5) the importance of dialogue, lessons from practice, (6) regulations on due diligence in the EU, (7) IT systems for conducting procedures, digitization and practices, and (8) open questions regarding application of the Law. Many lecturers participated in the presentation of topics, some of them are Prof. Dr Živko Kulić, Dragana Andonovska, MSc Milica Kovač Orlandić, MSc, Svetlana Barović, Milanka Mrdak, Armin Bećiragić, Tatjana Bakić, Dr Jovan Protić, Dr Enesa Rastoder, Velibor Mikać, Dr Ivica Lazović and Jovana Borjan.

The visit to the Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes and learning about the current practice of dispute resolution in Montenegro, as well as the presentation of current practice in the field of resolution of labor disputes in the Republic of Serbia, were important for all participants, bearing in mind similar practical problems and issues they face in practice. At the meeting, several conclusions were agreed on with the aim of general improvement of dispute resolution and improvement of the quality of the overall operations of these institutions.