08. 06. 2021.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes was visited by a delegation of the International Labor Organization on the occasion of implementation of the project entitled Employment and Social Affairs Platform - ESAP 2. The meeting was attended by Ada Huibregtse, the chief project coordinator, and Jovan Protić, national coordinator of the International Labor Organization for the Republic of Serbia.

The Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP 2) is a regional 3-year project funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented jointly by the Regional Cooperation Council and International Labor Organization (ILO).

ESAP 2 is a continuation of a successfully implemented first part of the project in the region of the Western Balkans (2016 to 2019) and is aimed at upgrading of the results achieved in the area of combating unreported work, preparation, implementation and monitoring of detailed national maps to curb unreported work and implementation of intervention packages; support to social dialogue in order to promote participation of economic and social councils in enactment of economic and social policies, promotion of collective negotiations and support of networking of agencies for peaceful resolution of labor disputes; advancing of knowledge and practices of labor inspections for prevention and curbing unreported work; implementation of strengthened social agenda for the Western Balkans in Cooperation with the European Commission, reinforced EU engagement in supporting the Western Balkans to enable effective implementation of reform at the labor market in the area of social policies and EU enlargement process. To learn more about the project, see: https://www.esap.online/pages/1/we-are-esap-2

Referring to the support to networking of agencies for peaceful resolution of labor disputes, it is agreed to host a regional annual conference of national agencies for peaceful resolution of labor disputes in Belgrade in early October. It is also agreed to examine the possibility of professional development of conciliators and arbiters by the International Labor Organization at its training center in Turin.

At the meeting the Agency Director, Ivica Lazović, informed Mrs Huibregtse about our practical experience, and in particular digitalization of the procedure, where we, being the first in the region to do so, will be the model for other agencies. Cooperation on the project so far was found to be positive and in further implementation a series of activities are agreed to promote alternative forms of resolution of labor disputes.