On 27 May, the Agency held the third in a series of workshops in Vranje . The workshop is a part of the project entitled “Joint efforts of social partners to increase the visibility of the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes”, implemented by the Development and Cooperation Initiative (IRS) in partnership with the “Nezavisnost” ABTU, Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia and the Union of Employers of Serbia, with the support of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes.

In the premises of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions in Vranje, Dr. Ivica Lazović, Director of the Agency, was presented the results of Agency operations to the participants. The present audience had the opportunity to get insight into the Course on Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes and to get acquainted with the benefits of using this concept and the practice of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes. The simulation of the procedure of peaceful settlement of labor dispute to the attending union representatives and employers was presented by the Agency conciliators and arbitrators.

The workshop was attended by representatives of social partners "Nezavisnost" Association of Branch Trade Unions (ABTU), Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, Union of Employers of Serbia and Initiative for Development and Cooperation, as well as a representative of “Olof Palme” International Center.

As a part of the project entitled “Joint efforts of social partners to increase the visibility of the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes”, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes held a workshop in Zrenjanin on May 23. This is the second workshop this year, which is being realized through a project funded by the "Olof Palme" International Center and implemented by the Development and Cooperation Initiative (IRS) in partnership with the “Nezavisnost” ABTU, Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia and the Union of Employers of Serbia, with the support of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes.

The presentation of the work of the Agency and the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes was held by the Agency Director, Dr. Ivica Lazović, and the simulation of the procedure to the attending union representatives and employers was presented by the Agency conciliators and arbitrators. The present audience had the opportunity to get insight into the Course on Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes and to get acquainted with the benefits of using this concept and the practice of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes.

The workshop was attended by representatives of social partners "Nezavisnost" Association of Branch Trade Unions (ABTU), Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, Union of Employers of Serbia and Initiative for Development and Cooperation.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes presented its work at gatherings held in Ivanjica on May 14, organized by the "Nezavisnost", Serbian Branch Trade Union of Teachers, in Veliko Gradiste from May 11 to 13, organized by the Serbian Trade Union of Construction Workers and Workers in Construction Materials Industry (SSSS) and at VII convention of the Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions (ASNS) on May 21. On that occasion, those interested were able to get acquainted with the work of the Agency so far and the benefits provided by peaceful resolution of labor disputes.

Dejana Spasojević Ivančić, a longtime mediator and arbitrator of the Agency talked at the international meeting held in Večliko Gradište (Silver Lake) which focused the aspects of the labor law and social dialogue in the Western Balkans and the EU. Leticia Baldan, the international secretary of the Belgian Construction and Energy Trade Union, Gijs Lokhorst, a Dutch negotiator for collective agreements in the area of construction works, and Dušan Petrović, secretary of the Social and Economic Council of the Republic of Serbia also spoke at the seminar, together with a number of other presenters.

At the seminar of the "Independence" Branch Trade Union of Teachers of Serbia entitled "Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes", which was held in Ivanjica, Dragana Andonovska, senior advisor at the Agency, introduced the participants to the work of the Agency, with special reference to mobbing and harassment at work. Milica Radivojević, Nataša Arsić Jelić and Danijela Kostan Kovačević, conciliators and arbitrators of the Agency, spoke about the advantages of resolving labor disputes before the Agency against proceedings before the court. In continuation of the gathering, the participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the whole procedure of peaceful settlement of labor disputes before the Agency through an interactive simulation and workshop.

At VII convention of the Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions (ASNS) director of Agency Ivica Lazović participated as a guest and announced greater cooperation and at least one training for the members of this union on the benefits that peaceful resolution of labor disputes provides.

Within the project entitled Employment and Social Affairs Platform 2 (ESAP 2) implemented by the International Labor Organization, from 10 to 13 May on Zlatibor, training for mediators and arbitrators is held on "Improving the effectiveness of mediation in resolving labor disputes."

In addition to mediators and arbitrators from Serbia, the training was attended by representatives of agencies for the peaceful settlement of labor disputes from the Republic of Srpska (B&H) and Montenegro, as well as representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The training was opened by Ada Huibregtse, ILO Chief Technical Adviser, while the expert part of the training and workshop was led by Malcolm Curie, an experienced ILO mediator and trainer. Conciliators and arbitrators had the opportunity to improve their skills in resolving individual and collective labor disputes through interactive workshops and exercises, as well as to exchange practical experiences with colleagues from different agencies.

Within the project, it is planned to hold another online training by the end of the year, where all conciliators and arbitrators will be welcome.

The Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP) 2 is a project funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Labor Organization. It aims to improve the institutional effectiveness of the labor dispute resolution mechanism. Also, the goal is to exchange experiences and learn from colleagues from different agencies for peaceful settlement of labor disputes in the Western Balkans.

In order to inform the public about the role of the Agency, its competencies and the effects it achieves with its work, as well as professional and free services it offers to citizens and in an effort to increase visibility of this legal concept, we have intensified our presence on social networks. In order to bring its services closer to as many citizens as possible, the Agency has prepared promotional announcements and is conducting a targeted internet campaign with press releases about the Agency's various competencies.

As a part of the internet campaign, a promotional video of the Agency was produced, which you can watch at this link.

Through the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, the collective labor dispute in the “Elmont” d.o.o. company was resolved by an agreement. Nis. The dispute was initiated by the “Elmont” d.o.o. Niš trade union organization on the issue of exercising the right to determine the representativeness of the union with the employer.

Prof. Dr. Goran Obradović was the appointed mediator and he set up the Conciliation Committee at the first hearing to include representatives of the parties to the dispute and the acting conciliator. Representatives of the employer “Elmont” d.o.o. Niš and the trade union organization “Elmont” d.o.o. Niš signed a joint agreement on the peaceful settlement of labor disputes, by which they agreed on all disputed issues.

In this way, in “Elmont” d.o.o. Niš representatives of employers and trade unions gave another example of how to successfully conduct social dialogue, deciding on a procedure for peaceful settlement of this collective labor dispute.

On 15 April, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes held the first in a series of workshops in Pančevo dedicated to increasing the visibility and accessibility of the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes.

The presentation of the work of the Agency and the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes was held by the Agency Director, Dr. Ivica Lazović, and the simulation of the procedure to the attending union representatives and employers was presented by the Agency conciliators and arbitrators, Prof. Dr. Živko Kulić and Danijela Koštan Kovačević. The workshop was attended by representatives of social partners, Stefan Todić from the "Nezavisnost" Association of Branch Trade Unions (ABTU), Aleksandar Markovic from the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, Jelena Jevtović on behalf of the Union of Employers of Serbia and Milena Šošić as a representative of the Initiative for Development and Cooperation.

The present audience had the opportunity to be the first to get insight into the Course on Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes and to get acquainted with the benefits of using this concept and the practice of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes.

The workshop is a part of the project entitled “Joint efforts of social partners to increase the visibility of the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes”, funded by the “Olof Palme” International Center and implemented by the Development and Cooperation Initiative (IRS) in partnership with the “Nezavisnost” ABTU, Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia and the Union of Employers of Serbia, with the support of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes.

On the occasion of marking the 20th anniversary of the Union of Nurses and Technicians of Serbia (SMSTS), on March 27, 2022 in Belgrade, the present members and management of this union were addressed by the director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Dispute Resolution Dr. Ivica Lazović and the conciliator of the Agency and labor law professor Dr. Bojan Urdarević.

You can watch their speeches at the following link.

The first interactive training for conciliators and arbitrators in 2022 was held on March 22. At the opening of the training, a plaque was awarded for the contribution to the development of the legal concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes to the line minister, Prof. Dr. Darija Kisić.

Prof. Dr. Kisić congratulated the conciliators and arbitrators on their success in their work so far, stating that everyone benefited from their work, from employees and employers to the entire society and the state. The Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans' and Social Affairs supported the idea of expanding the network of conciliators and arbitrators throughout the Republic of Serbia and expressed satisfaction that we now have a total of 92 conciliators and arbitrators, many of whom were elected to cities where they had never been present before.

The Agency Director, Dr. Ivica Lazović, thanked Minister Kisić and the Ministry for their support to the Agency and their contribution to promoting the peaceful settlement of labor disputes. He added that the Ministry has included the Agency in the development of a set of new regulations that are being drafted, which further promotes this concept.

In the continuation of the training conciliators and arbitrators, the techniques and tactics of negotiation were presented by prof. Dr. Senad Jašarević from the Faculty of Law in Novi Sad. Then, the national coordinator of the International Labor Organization, Mr. Jovan Protić, informed the audience about the activities of this organization. After the first session, the panel discussion on judicial practice in the field of labor disputes was led by judges Dr. Bojan Božović and Vesna Dušić from Novi Sad, as well as Mila Lazić from Kragujevac. Prof. Dr. Vera Despotović, educator and mediator herself, spoke about mediation skills.

Students of the 11th generation of the High Security and Defense Studies (HSDS) of the "Vojvoda Radomir Putnik" School of National Defense visited the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes and the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs.

Prof. Dr Darija Kisić, Minister of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, and her team presented the work and activities of the Ministry and emphasized that in its organizational structure there is the Sector for Protection of Veterans and Disabled Persons, which is a kind of a link between the institutions. Zoran Antic, the State Secretary, who is also a student of the HSDS, spoke about the work of this sector.

The participants were introduced to the work of the Agency by the director, Dr. Ivica Lazović, who is also a student of the 11th generation of the High Security and Defense Studies (HSDS O) of the "Vojvoda Radomir Putnik" School of National Defense.

The high security and defense studies are the highest level of career development of military officers and civil servants, and the 11th class students include officers of the Ministry of Defense, members of the Ministry of Interior and other ministries, representatives of the National Assembly of Serbia and state agencies. forces of BiH and the Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Republic of Srpska.

The HSDS head, Colonel Branko S. Mišić, thanked for the hospitality and highlighted a wide range od opportunities for cooperation between the institutions.

On 7 March 2022 a presentation of the model for resolving labor disputes in Sweden was organized for the Agency mediators and arbitrators. Johan Schmidt, head of the team Europe at the Olof Palme International Center, spoke about the Swedish model of peaceful resolution of labor disputes.

The lecture was held within the project entitled "Joint actions of social partners to increase the visibility of the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes" implemented by the Initiative for Development and Cooperation, with financial support from the International Ulof Palme Center, in partnership with the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, the INDEPENDENCE Union of Branch Trade Unions, Union of Employers of Serbia and with the support of the Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes.

The project contributes to improving compliance with and enforcement of labor law regulations by increasing the visibility and application of effective out-of-court dispute resolution mechanisms, with a special focus on the concept of the peaceful settlement of labor disputes. The project included an additional activity in the form of a lecture with the aim of increasing the knowledge of conciliators, arbitrators and social partners on the functioning of the Swedish model of peaceful settlement of labor disputes.

You can watch the lecture recording at this link.

In the procedure of peaceful settlement of a collective labor dispute on the occasion of concluding a collective agreement with the employer "FCC Kikinda", which was initiated at the suggestion of the "FCC Industrial Union", Nada Crnja, the assigned conciliator, made a recommendation on how to resolve the collective labor dispute.

The conciliator set up a Conciliation Board in accordance with the law, which included the parties to the dispute. With the mediation of the Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, the parties to the dispute, the management and the trade union, had one hearing session on the dispute arising in connection with the conclusion of a collective agreement with the employer.

However, there was no consensus between the parties in dispute, but the employer pointed out that he wanted to continue the procedure through social dialogue with the union, and the conciliator was asked to propose a recommendation in accordance with the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes. Based on the above, the conciliator gave a recommendation to the parties to the dispute.

The Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes is introducing quality management into its work, through the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) model.

The main goal for the introduction of quality management is to strive for continuous increase of efficiency, effectiveness and economy of work processes, constant monitoring, evaluation and improvement of service quality, management and dynamics of the Agency operations.

The introduction of quality management aims to improve the work of the Agency and achieve excellence in all processes, especially in improving services for citizens, because it helps to increase the quality of services for customers and thus their satisfaction.

The introduction of quality management is based on the "Agreement on the implementation of the CAF quality management model" signed on 28 January 2022 by Marija Obradović, Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government and Dr Ivica Lazović, Agency Director. On the basis of this agreement, in the process of implementing the CAF quality management model, the Agency will be provided with professional and technical support by the MDULS Support The team and consultants of the EU project entitled "Support to Public Administration Reforms within the Sectoral Reform Agreement for Public Administration Reform Sector".

It is planned to implement the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) from February to August 2022 in six phases.

With the implementation of the CAF quality management model, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes ranks among the leaders in the Republic of Serbia among the institutions that have opted for the introduction of this model in public administration applied in more than 50 countries, including all EU member states.

You can find more about CAF at the following link https://caf.mduls.gov.rs/

The Serbian Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes participated at the training for conciliators and arbitrator run by the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, a public institution of the Republic of Srpska, which was held in the period from February 9-11, 2022.

The Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes of the Republic of Srpska organized a specialist training dedicated to the application of the new Law on Protection from Harassment at the Workplace and its implementation in practice. Bearing in mind the scope of work of the Serbian Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes and experience in settlement of cases of abuse at the workplace accumulated over a decade, this opportunity to share experiences with conciliators and arbitrators in the Republic of Srpska was welcome.

The professional advancement training was open by Velibor Mikać, Director of the Public Institution Agency. Maria José Chamorro (formalization and gender equality expert), Ada Huibregtse (chief technical adviser, Employment and Social Affairs Platform), and Angela Du Plessis (mediator) participated on behalf of the International Labor Organization. Milorad Mitrović and prof. Dr Rajko Kličković from the Ministry of Labor and Veterans Disability Protection of the Republic of Srpska addressed the audience and so did Radmila Puzić from the Labor Inspection. Representatives of the Trade Union Association of the Republic of Srpska and Employers Association of the Republic of Srpska were also among the speakers.

The issues relating to labor dispute settlement in the Republic of Serbia and the Law on Protection from Harassment at the Workplace were discussed by Ivica Lazović, the Serbian Agency Director, while the topic of harassment and abuse at the workplace and experience from practice were presented by Dejana Spasojevic Ivančić, a conciliator and arbitrator.

At the "Kragujevac" PHC in Kragujevac parties in dispute resorted to mediation by the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes and came to a common recommendation on how to settle the collective labor dispute, which was unanimously adopted and signed by the Conciliation Board.

The procedure before the Agency was conducted on the occasion of implementation of the Special Collective Agreement. The procedure was initiated according to the Proposal of the "Kragujevac" PHS Trade Union Organization and Serbian Association of Trade Unions for the initiation of procedure for peaceful settlement of the collective labor dispute. The employer, "Kragujevac" PHC, agreed to settle the dispute peacefully before the Agency. Katarina Nikolić was the appointed conciliator. A conciliation committee was set up in accordance with the law, including representatives of the parties in dispute and the appointed conciliator. After three discussions, the common recommendation was agreed on recommending the way to settle the disputed issue.

The employer and employees of the "Kragujevac" PHC in Kragujevac complied with the recommendation of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and in the process of peaceful settlement of the dispute gave an example of readiness for the social dialogue, aiming to find sustainable solutions for all controversial issues in line with the law.

Within the project “Employment and Social Affairs Platform” on January 31, 2022 the International Labor Organization organized the first online meeting of the regional agencies for peaceful settlement of labor disputes to discuss implementation of methodology and tools for performance measurement of peaceful settlement of labor disputes. This methodology has two basic goals, and that is an increasing use of the system for peaceful settlement of labor disputes by workers, employers and their organizations as the primary objective and increasing effectiveness of the system for peaceful settlement of labor disputes as the second objective.

The meeting was attended by Ada Huibregtse, ILO chief technical advisor, Kristina Miheš, senior specialist for social dialogue and labor law, Jovan Protić, ILO national coordinator, Attila Kun, head of Department for Labor Law and Social Insurance at the Karoli Gapar University in Budapest, Zdenka Burzan from the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes of Montenegro, Jovana Borjan from the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes of the Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Vladimir Bijadijev from the National Institute for Conciliation and Arbitration (Bulgaria), Lulјeta Krasta from the Ministry of Social Protection and Youth of Albania, as well as representatives of representative social partners in the region, ILO experts and project experts.

The Serbian Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes was represented by Dr Ivica Lazović, the Agency Director, prof. Dr. Senad Jašarević, Agency conciliator, and Dragana Andonovska, head of the Legal Affairs Unit in the Agency.

Relevant experiences, information and examples of good practices were shared at the meeting, and further forms of improvement of cooperation within the regional network for labor dispute settlement agreed.

The Serbian Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes has enacted the special 2022 Program for Advanced Training of Conciliator and Arbitrators.

The advanced training program aims at continuous promotion of skills and knowledge as well as harmonization of practice of conciliators and arbitrators in the field of peaceful settlement of labor disputes, which is an important prerequisite for further development of the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes in practice, and thus effective labor law protection in the Republic of Serbia.

With this Program two training courses for conciliators and arbitrator are planned as well as some special individual trainings. In addition to these trainings, the Agency will try to organize more courses with expert support of the International Labor Organizations (ILO) and citizens associations.

Click on the LINK to download the 2022 Special Program for advanced training of conciliators and arbitrators.

A delegation from the Republic of Srpska and the Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes from Banja Luka visited the Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes. The delegation from the Republic of Srpska included Velibor Mikač, the director of the Agency for the peaceful settlement of labor disputes, and Jovana Borjan Lazuta, a senior expert associate for the peaceful settlement of labor disputes.

The meeting was focused on the cooperation of the Agencies, sharing of experiences and good practices, especially in the field of protection against harassment at work and mobbing. The reason for this is that the Law on Prevention of Harassment at Work was recently adopted in the Republic of Srpska, while in the Republic of Serbia we already have over ten years of experience in this matter.

Also, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes used the opportunity to introduce a colleague from the Republic of Srpska as a pioneer in the implementation of the IT system for conducting the proceedings, and he presented the functionalities and advantages of using it.

Mikač and Lazović agreed that the continuation and deepening of already successful long-term cooperation is in the interest of both Agencies as well as the citizens of the Republic of Serbia and Republic of Srpska.

In order to further develop the relations between the Agencies, an agreement was reached on the need to run joint trainings, organize round tables, conferences and periodic meetings in the oncoming period, as the opportunities to discuss relevant practices and all current topics in the common field of work.

On 17 December, the final training for conciliators and arbitrators in 2021 was held, at which certificates from the International Labor Organization Training Center were presented to participants who attended the training from 6 to 8 October, as well as plaques for contributing to the development of a legal concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes.

The Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes and the legal concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes are in constant development in our country, said the Agency Director Ivica Lazovic, emphasizing that we could be proud of the support of social partners, primarily the representative trade unions and employers, as well as the third party in the social dialogue, the Republic of Serbia, which contributed primarily through the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs. The plaques were presented to the president of the Association of Branch Trade Unions "Nezavisnost", Čedanka Andrić, the president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, Ljubisav Orbovic, and the president of the Association of Employers of Serbia, Miloš Nenezić. The presentation of the plaque was also planned for the Minister of Labor, Professor Dr. Darija Kisić Tepavčević, who was prevented from attending the gathering, so that the plaque would be presented to her at a later date. The state secretary Dr. Stana Božović addressed the audience and on behalf of Professor Kisić Tepavčević. She greeted the participants and emphasized the importance of the legal concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes as a great civilizational achievement.

Mr. Jovan Protić the national coordinator of the International Labor Organization spoke in the continuation of the training for conciliators and arbitrators, and after him, the first block of training was run by prof. Dr. Bojan Urdarević. An IDC representative, Milena Šoškić, informed the participants about the planned activities in the oncoming period. Aleksandra Stanković spoke about resolving conflicts from the psychological point of view, and the Constitutional Court Judge Lidija Đukić spoke about the latest case law.

In the process of peaceful settlement of collective labor dispute regarding the right of the trade union to have its representativeness recognized the by employer at the "Zlatibor" Special Hospitals for Thyroid Gland and Metabolic Diseases, which was initiated upon proposal of the “Sloga” Association of Trade Unions of Serbia - Trade Union of Health and Social Protection Services, the appointed conciliator, Milica Radivojević, issued a recommendation on how to settle the collective labor dispute.

The conciliator set up a Conciliation Committee in accordance with the law, composed of representatives of the parties in dispute. Mediated by the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, the disputed parties, hospital management and trade unions had three constructive discussions relating to the dispute relating to the right of the trade union to have its representativeness recognized by employer at the "Zlatibor" Special Hospitals for Thyroid Gland and Metabolic Diseases (Čigota). However, the consensus could not be reached by the disputed parties, and the employer, following provisions of the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, asked the conciliator to propose a recommendation. Accordingly, the conciliator issued a recommendation to the disputed parties, which provides an opportunity for settlement of the disputed issues, although it is not binding.

The Director of the Serbian Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, Dr Ivica Lazović visited main offices of major trade unions that frequently cooperate with the Agency – Confederation of Free Trade Unions (KSS), Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions (ASNS) and „Sloga“ Association of Serbian Trade Unions, in order to improve cooperation and discuss further activities. The talks were focused on elevation of the level of cooperation and promotion of the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes among the trade union members. Possibilities for improvement and more intensive cooperation were discussed. The trade union main offices received the Agency promotional materials in order to spread information on options for protection of the rights before the Agency.

On 14 December a meeting was held at the premises of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions (KSS), with the President Ivica Cvetanović. On 15 December a meeting was held at the premises of the Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions (ASNS) with the President Ranka Savić. A meeting with the „Sloga“ Association of Serbian Trade Unions and their President, Želјko Veselinović was held at the Association premises on 15 December in the presence of Predrag Đurić, President of the Health and Social Services Trade Union.

It was concluded that all trade unions significantly contributed to the development of the legal concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes, but that room for cooperation is still there to harmonize the labor law conceptualization in the Republic of Serbia .

The Director of the Serbian Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, Dr Ivica Lazović, was present at the 21st meeting of the Assembly of the Serbian Association of Employers (UPS) held on 10 December 2021. Mr Lazović addressed the attending members of the Association Assembly and reviewed the successful cooperation resulting from commitment of both Mr Atanacković, the previous Association president and Mr Miloš Nenezić, the current President. It was highlighted that there was room for improvement of the cooperation and all Association members were invited to use all resources offered by the Agency. He also thanked the Association members for their contribution to the development of the legal concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes.

On behalf of the Serbian Association of Employers the President, Miloš Nenezić awarded a Charter of the Serbian Association of Employers to Dr Ivica Lazović, Director of the Serbian Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes. The Assembly meeting was attended by a delegation of the Montenegrin Association of Employers. They were also awarded the UPS Charter as a token of years of friendship and cooperation.

On 9 December 2021 the Serbian Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes signed a Memorandum Understanding and Cooperation with the “Initiative for Development and Cooperation” citizen association on implementation of the project entitled „Joint Undertakings of Social Partners for Improvement of Visibility of Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes“, funded by the Olof Palme International Center in partnership with the „Nezavisnost“ (“Independence”) Association of Branch Trade Unions (UGS), Association of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia (SSSS) and Serbian Association of Employers (UPS).

The project includes workshops on peaceful settlement of labor disputes in Novi Pazar, Pančevo, Zrenjanin and Vranje. Drawing up a policy brief on peaceful settlement of labor disputes is planned and so are presentation and distribution of electronic and printed versions of the document. One of the activities will be updating and promotion of the online course on peaceful settlement of labor disputes, organizing meetings aimed at raising awareness of the employees, employers and local decision makers on the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes and importance of upgrading of the legislative framework for the peaceful settlement of labor disputes. Finally, the final press conference is planned in Belgrade for the presentation of the policy brief on peaceful settlement of labor disputes including all already implemented activities in the project the implementation of which will continue in the course of 2022.

On 8 December 2021 the Director of the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, Dr Ivica Lazović visited representative trade unions in the Republic of Serbia - „Nezavisnost“ (“Independence”) Association of Branch Trade Unions (UGS) and Association of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia (SSSS) in order to promote cooperation and discuss further activities. At separate meetings, promotion of the concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes was discussed among the trade union membership as beneficiaries of the Agency services. Experiences and cooperation so far were reviewed. Prospects for upgraded and more intensive cooperation and specialized training courses for the trade union members were also discussed. Distribution of the Agency promotional materials among the trade union membership was agreed on so that they can be better informed on the opportunities available to them in terms of protection of their rights before the Agency. Experience drawn from the cases brought before the Agency was analyzed and it was concluded that the practice so far was the best recommendation for further cooperation, but room for improvement was also identified.

The meeting with the newly elected president, Čedanka Andrić, was held at the premises of the „Nezavisnost“ UGS at Nušićeva 21, while the meeting with the SSSS president, Ljubisav Orbović, was held at the premises of this association at the Nikola Pašić Square.

It was concluded that contribution of representative trade unions in the development of legal concept of peaceful settlement of labor disputes was substantial, and that the Agency has remained the proper address for peaceful settlement of both collective and individual labor disputes taking into account interests of all three parties in the social dialogue – employees, employers and the Republic of Serbia.

At the „Trepča“ mining, metallurgic and chemical holding company in Zvečanu, in the process of peaceful resolution of a labor dispute on the issue of exercising the right to trade union organizaing and activities, initiated upon a request of the „Nezavisnost“ trade union of the „Trepča“ MMCH, the conciliator in charge, Prof Dr Aleksandar Antić passed a recommendation on how to resolve the collective labor dispute.

The conciliator set up a Conciliation Board with participation of parties in dispute. With mediation of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes, the company management and trade union had a constructive discussion on the issue under dispute. However, the management failed to attend the second hearing, and the „Nezavisnost“ trade union of the „Trepča“ MMCH required that the conciliator, in line with the law, pass a recommendation on how to resolve the dispute. The conciliator did pass a recommendation, following provisions of articles 206, 209 and 210 of the Labor Law, requiring to reexamine and review claims of the trade union representatives and to resolve all issues through further dialogue.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes expresses its satisfaction that this form of labor dispute resolution has been recognized by social partners in the area of autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija and regrets that they failed stick to the dialogue to reach a common understanding of the parties in dispute on how to resolve the issue.