By mediation of the National Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, the collective labour dispute based on the proposal submitted by the Association of Trade Unions of Serbian Education Employees regarding the implementation of the Special Collective Agreement for Employees in Primary and Secondary Schools and Student Homes was concluded. The Conciliation Committee, consisting of a trade union representative, a representative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, and the conciliator of the National Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, adopted unanimously a Recommendation on the method for resolving the collective labour dispute. The Recommendation adopted determined the method to proceed with the formation of the Committee for the PKU Interpretation, which should be composed of trade unions representatives and representatives of ministries responsible for education, labour, finance and public administration.

By mediation of the National Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes in the Primary Healthcare Facility “Dr Sava Stanojevic” in Trstenik, a collective labour dispute was resolved with the Trade Union of Nurses and Medical Technicians of Serbia regarding determining the right to representativeness of this union. The recommendation on the method of resolving the collective labour dispute as well as the Agreement on the settlement of the dispute were signed, after which, among other things, the procedure of determining the representativeness at the employer of the Trade Union of Nurses and Medical Technicians of Serbia would be initiated - the Basic organization of the PHCF “Dr Sava Stanojevic” in Trstenik. The parties have also agreed that the common goal is further cooperation, conducting social dialogue, achieving good business results and improving the material and social position of employees. The representatives of the employer of the PHFC “Dr Sava Stanojevic” in Trstenik and the Trade Union of Nurses and Medical Technicians of Serbia showed that the social dialogue between employees and the employer was properly conducted, opting for the procedure of peaceful settlement of the collective labour dispute, in accordance with the recommendation of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, that disputes should be resolved by use of institutional mechanisms.

The National Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes delivered a special training for newly elected conciliators and arbitrators on September 12, 2019. The training was opened by the Agency’s Director, Mile Radivojević, who spoke about the results of the work in the past period and the tendency of increase in the number of labour disputes that have been settled amicably, which is the basis for supplementing the list of conciliators and arbitrators. Deputy Director, Ivica Lazović spoke about the specific work of the Agency, responsibilities, practices, advantages, types of most common labour disputes and statistical indicators in the work. Dragica Mišljenović, a member of the Permanent Working Body for Collective Bargaining and Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes of the Social and Economic Council of the Republic of Serbia, spoke about social dialogue, tripartism, relations between social partners and contentious situations in practice. A particularly important segment of the training was the block in which several case studies of individual and collective labour disputes from the Agency’s practice were addressed. Experienced conciliators and arbitrators of the Agency, Dejana Spasojević Ivančić and Verica Hrnčjar, introduced these cases to the attendees. The training was conducted in an interactive atmosphere and familiarizing the newly elected conciliators and arbitrators with good practice so that they could get involved in the procedures of peaceful settlement of labour disputes as soon as possible.

One hundred sixty two (162) individual labour disputes were successfully closed in the Public Utility Company “Ivanjica”, initiated due to non-payment of food allowances during work and non-payment of holiday allowance. The management and employees of the Public Utility Company “Ivanjica” have set a good example of socially responsible business where individual labour disputes are settled amicably, other than in court proceedings. In this way unnecessary court and other costs were avoided both by employees and by the employer, and within a short period of 30 days employees received arbitration awards, which had the same legal effect as final court judgments.

The total of 28 timely applications have been received during the competition for the election of conciliators and arbitrators, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 14 dated 6 March 2019, for which the deadline for submission of applications expired on 8 April. The Committee for the Election of Conciliators and Arbitrators, composed upon proposal of the Social and Economic Council of the Republic of Serbia, consisting of the representatives of trade unions - the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia and the United Branch Trade Unions “Nezavisnost”, the Union of Employers of Serbia and representatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia had the task to elect conciliators and arbitrators.

By a unanimous decision of the Committee, the following candidates were elected:

The following candidates were elected as conciliators:

1. Valentina Vojinović
2. Daliborka Kosanović
3. Dragana Jovanović
4. Žarko Kovačević
5. Gorica Milošević
6. Biljana Drakula
7. Dejan Milić
8. Vijoleta Palić
9. Predrag Plavkić
10. Aleksandar Antić
11. Miloš Stevović

The following candidates were elected as arbitrators:

1. Valentina Vojinović
2. Daliborka Kosanović
3. Dragana Jovanović
4. Žarko Kovačević
5. Gorica Milošević
6. Biljana Drakula
7. Dejan Milić
8. Vijoleta Palić
9. Miloš Stevović

In this way, the National Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes shows its gratitude to all the candidates for their interest and for applying for the Competition for the selection of conciliators and arbitrators. Based on the decision of the Committee, the National Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes will issue the Decision on the registration of the selected candidates in the Register of Conciliators and Arbitrators, which will be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia at the earliest convenience.

The National Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes will attend the Fourth Annual Sub-Regional Meeting of the Network of Agencies for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes at the invitation of the International Labour Organization to be held in the Republic of Northern Macedonia, from 28 to 29 May 2019 in Skopje. The annual meeting of the network of agencies for peaceful dispute settlement will be held in the form of a conference for professional conciliators in the region and by getting acquainted with the reports on individual labour dispute resolution systems, presentation of the guiding principles for the effective prevention and resolution of labour disputes, learning about the criteria for effective and quality reconciliation and mediation in the light of comparative practices and empirical research, presenting and discussing new reform in the area of peaceful settlement of labour disputes, familiarization with the database on sub-regional cases of peaceful settlement of disputes and ethical principles of the work of conciliators and arbitrators. The exchange of regional experience will be important for further development of the legal institute of peaceful settlement of labour disputes, both in the region and in the Republic of Serbia. Through common practice, this gathering will also contribute to raising the professional capacity of the National Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.

Upon initiative of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Mile Radivojević, Director of the National Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, had the pleasure of addressing a group of about 50 students of the Faculty of Law of the International University of Novi Pazar and presenting them the institute of peaceful settlement of labour disputes and the work of the Agency. The study visit was managed by Rector of the International University of Novi Pazar, Suad Bećirović and Dean of the Faculty of Law, Reihan Kurtović, while the State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Zaim Redžepović and Assistant Director at the Directorate for Cooperation with Religious Communities, Ferid Bulić, addressed the students. They discussed the efforts invested in making all young people from all parts of our country aware of the work of the institutions, because in the future they will be holders of the most important functions in our society. Finally, it was announced that these forms of cooperation would continue in the future.

The first interactive seminar for conciliators and arbiters in 2019 addressing the topic “Individual labour disputes in practice” took place on April 12 in Belgrade.

The interactive seminar event was opened by Bojana Stanić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, emphasizing the contribution of the regulatory amendments to the improvement of the condition in this area.

Zdenka Burzan, Director of the Agency for the Amicable Settlement of Labour Disputes of Montenegro and Director of the National Agency for Amicable Settlement of Labour Disputes, Mile Radivojević, spoke about regional cooperation, and the lecture on the topic “Practice of the Supreme Court of Labour in the field of labour disputes” was delivered by the judge of the Supreme Court of Cassation in Belgrade, Predrag Trifunović. The second topic addressed at the panel was amicable settlement of labour disputes in practice, where the conciliator and arbiter, Verica Hrnčjar and Dejana Spasojević presented their experience to the attendees.

The third panel was dedicated to the conflict resolution skills discussed by Milica Jovanović, a consultant and expert for personal and professional development.

The last panel of the First Interactive Seminar of Conciliators and Arbiters was dedicated to amicable settlement of labour disputes in Montenegro, as well as to current amendments to the Law on the Amicable Settlement of Labour Disputes of Montenegro, presented by Vesna Simovic – Zvicer, PhD.

The seminar was organized to ensure further professional development of conciliators and arbiters in the field of individual labour disputes and had special importance because it enabled a direct exchange of relevant experiences and examples of good practice.

On April 1, 2019, with the assistance of the Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, the Agreement on the Peaceful Settlement of a Collective Labour Dispute was signed at the Public Media Institution "Radio-Television of Vojvodina", on the occasion of the strike of the Mobile Technology Department, the Television Technics Sector, due to the calculation of salaries.

The proposal for peaceful settlement of the collective labour dispute was submitted by the Trade Union "Nezavisnost" PMI "Radio-Television of Vojvodina" on the occasion of the warning strike of the Mobile Technology Department, the Television Technics Sector, due to the method of calculating salaries. The other party to the dispute, the management of PMI "Radio-Television of Vojvodina" accepted to settle this dispute peacefully.

Prof Dr Senad Jašarević was assigned as the Acting Conciliator, and the representatives of the employer and the trade unions once again confirmed, in practice, what are the benefits of social dialogue between employees and employers.

The first interactive seminar for conciliators and arbiters in 2019 on the subject of "Individual Labour Disputes in Practice", planned under the Special Professional Development Program for Conciliators and Arbiters for this year, will be held on Friday, April 12, 2019, at 9:00 am in Belgrade at Palace of Serbia.

After participants’ registration, as well as introductory presentations by Bojana Stanić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, Zdenka Burzan, Director of the Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes of Montenegro and the Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes Mile Radivojević, the presentation on the topic of "The Practice of the Supreme Court of Cassation in the Field of Labour Disputes" will be held by the judge of the Supreme Court of Cassation in Belgrade Predrag Trifunović. The topic of the second panel will be dedicated to the peaceful settlement of labour disputes in practice, when Verica Hrnčjar, conciliator and arbiter and Dejana Spasojević, conciliator and arbiter will present their experiences to the participants. The third panel will be dedicated to conflict resolution skills, which will be addressed by Milica Jovanović, consultant expert for personal and professional development. The final panel of the First Interactive Seminar of Conciliators and Arbiters will be dedicated to the comparative practice of peaceful settlement of labour disputes, to the peaceful settlement of labour disputes in Montenegro, as well as the current amendments to the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, with a presentation by Dr Vesna Simović - Zvicer.

The seminar was organised with the aim of further professional development of conciliators and arbiters in the field of individual labour disputes and has a special importance since it enables a direct exchange of relevant experiences, as well as examples of good practice.

At the 87th regular session of the Social and Economic Council of the Republic of Serbia, which was held in Kragujevac on Monday, February 25, 2019 at 10:00 am, the Information on the Work of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes for 2018 was discussed.

The session was chaired by Dušan Petrović, Secretary of the Social and Economic Council of the Republic of Serbia, and Mile Radivojević, Director of the Agency, presented the information on the work of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes regarding the records which are being kept, as well as on other matters of importance for the procedures for peaceful settlement of labour disputes for 2018.

The Information on the Work of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes for 2018 provides a detailed overview of activities within its scope which were implemented, as well as the statistical data on the procedures conducted before the Agency in 2018.

You can find the complete Information on the Work of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes for 2018 at the following link: Information on Work 2018.

The strike at the Republic Geodetic Authority launched by the Trade Union "Nezavisnost" of RGA and the Unified Trade Union of RGA ended on January 21 after meeting with the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs Zoran Đorđević and the representatives of the Cabinet of the Prime Minister Ana Brnabić. At the meeting, an agreement was reached and a compromise solution which was acceptable to all parties to the dispute, in order to reduce the harmful effects of the strike on the citizens of the Republic of Serbia.

The Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes has joined the peaceful resolution process of this collective labour dispute at the proposal of the trade unions, with the consent of the employer on December 7, 2018. The strike was postponed and a joint recommendation was made by the trade unions and the employer to resolve the dispute before the Agency's conciliator, but as the recommendation implied the approval of several ministries, it was necessary to also include the founder. By including the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs Zoran Đorđević and the Cabinet of the Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, joint efforts resulted in an agreement which led to the termination of this strike, primarily in the interest of the citizens of the Republic of Serbia who were most affected by adverse consequences.

Within the framework of the signed Agreement on Cooperation with the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes had the pleasure to host the students of the final year of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law on Tuesday, December 18, 2018. The visit was led by professors of the Faculty of Law, Dr Ljubinka Kovačević and Dr Filip Bojić.

Through interactive conversation, the director of the Agency, Mile Radivojević, introduced the students to the concept of institution for peaceful settlement of labour disputes, the advantages of the institution in relation to the proceedings before courts, the organisation and the competencies of the Agency. Deputy Director Ivica Lazović talked to the students about the experiences in the work of the Agency.

A constructive discussion followed the presentation of the Agency’s operations, during which the students expressed a special interest in further development of alternative forms of resolving labour disputes in the Republic of Serbia.

In the Public Housing Company “Kragujevac”, 269 individual labour disputes, initiated due to non-payment of food allowances during work and non-payment of annual leave allowance, have been successfully completed.

The management and the employees of the Public Housing Company “Kragujevac” gave a true example of socially responsible business and good practice in settling individual labour disputes peacefully, and not through court proceedings. In this way, unnecessary court and other expenses were avoided for both the employees and employers, while the employees have reached arbitration decisions within 30 days, all of which are of the same legal force as final court decisions.

The management and the employees have acted in accordance with the Recommendation of the Government of the Republic of Serbia given by Conclusion 05 number 116-8060/2015 ("Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia", No. 67) and peacefully settled their dispute concerning the food allowance during the work and non-payment of the annual leave allowance for the previous period before the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.

On November 14, another workshop of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes in a series was held in Leskovac, dedicated to strengthening the visibility and accessibility of the institution of peaceful resolution of labour disputes and promotion of the importance of the amendments to the Law on the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes which were adopted at the Eighth Extraordinary Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

The workshop was held at the premises of the Higher Business School of Vocational Studies in Leskovac, and the representatives of the UGS "Nezavisnost" (United Branch Union “Independence”), the Association of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, the Association of Employers of Serbia and interested public from this city took part.

The workshop is a part of the project "Social Partners United in Increasing the Visibility of the Institution of Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes" implemented by the AoC Initiative for Development and Cooperation, with the financial support of Solidar Suisse - Office in Serbia, and in partnership with the Trade Union UGS "Nezavisnost" (United Branch Union “Independence”), the Association of Independent Unions Serbia, the Association of Employers of Serbia, with the support of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.

Deputy Director of the Agency Ivica Lazović held the presentation on the work of the Agency and the institution for conciliation and arbitration, while the simulation of the proceedings was presented to the present representatives of trade unions and employers by Agency’s arbiters Ružica Erceg and Danijela Koštan Kovačević. The attendees had the opportunity to get acquainted with the advantages of using this institution and the practice of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.

On November 7, the third in a series of workshops on "Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes in Practice" was held in Subotica with the aim to promote the importance of amendments to the Law on the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes and to present the institution of peaceful settlement of labour disputes and its advantages regarding the judicial settlement of disputes.

The workshop is a part of the project "Social Partners United in Increasing the Visibility of the Institution of Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes", implemented by the AoC Initiative for Development and Cooperation with the support of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes and with the financial support of Solidar Suisse - Office in Serbia, in partnership with the United Branch Union "Nezavisnost", the Association of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia and the Association of Employers of Serbia.

Deputy Director of the Agency Ivica Lazović held the presentation on the work of the Agency and the institution of conciliation and arbitration, and the simulation of the proceedings was presented to the representatives of the trade unions and employers by Dejan Spasojević Ivančić and Kristina Blažić, conciliators and arbitrators of the Agency. The attendees had the opportunity to get acquainted with the advantages of using this institution and the practice of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.

On October 31^st, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes held the second workshop in the offices of the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Pirot, dedicated to strengthening of visibility and accessibility of the institution for peaceful settlement of labour disputes.

The aim of the workshop, which featured the representatives of employers and trade unions from the Pirot county, was to highlight the importance of the amendments and changes to the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes and to present the institute for peaceful settlement of labour disputes and its advantages in regards to the court settlement of disputes.

Deputy Director of the Agency Ivica Lazović held the presentation on the work of the Agency and the institution for conciliation and arbitration, while the simulation of the proceeding was presented to the present representatives of trade unions and employers by Agency’s arbiters Ružica Erceg and Danijela Koštan Kovačević. The attendees had the opportunity to find out more on the advantages of using this institution and the practice of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.

The workshop is a part of the project “Social Partners United in Increasing the Visibility of the Institution of Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes”, implemented by the AoC Initiative for Development and Cooperation with the financial support of Solidar Suisse – Office in Serbia, and in partnership with the Trade Union UGS NEZAVISNOST (United Branch Union “Independence”), the Association of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, the Association of Employers of Serbia, with the support of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.

Workshops will also be held in Subotica and Leskovac.

On October 25^th, the Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes held in Sombor the first in a series of workshops dedicated to strengthening of visibility and accessibility of the institution of peaceful settlement of labor disputes.

Deputy Director of the Agency Ivica Lazović held the presentation of the Agency and the institution of conciliation and arbitration, while the simulation of the proceedings were presented to the present representatives of the trade unions and employers by Agency’s arbitrators Ružica Erceg and Danijela Koštan Kovačević. The audience had the opportunity to get acquainted with the advantages of using this institution and the practice of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes.

The workshop is part of the project “Social partners united in increasing the visibility of the institution of peaceful settlement of labor disputes”, implemented by the AoC Initiative for Development and Cooperation with the financial support of Solidar Suisse - Office in Serbia, and in partnership with the Trade Union of UGS Nezavisnost (United Branch Union “Independence”), the Association of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, Association of Employers of Serbia with the support of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes.

In addition to Sombor, it was planned to organize workshops in Pirot, Subotica and Leskovac.

On Tuesday, October 23^rd, at 10 am, in the Hall 3A of Belgrade Fair, at the stand of the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy, a round table was held on the topic “SOS Mobbing” telephone service of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes 0800-300-601. The director of the Agency Mile Radivojević, Olga Vučković Kićanović and Vera Kondić spoke at the round table.

After introductory speech by the Director of the Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, Mile Radivojević, Olga Vučković Kićanović explained with her presentation the notion of mobbing in theory and forms noticed in the practice and importance of peaceful settlement of this kind of labor disputes, while Vera Kondić talked about the concept of mobbing from a psychological aspect and about her practical experiences in finding solutions for abuse and discrimination at work. The expectations are that the current amendments to the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes related with discrimination and abuse at work will contribute to more efficient resolution of this phenomenon. The reason for such expectations is the fact that the procedure before the Agency is now terminated by the arbitrator's decision on the basis of the agreement between the parties to the dispute. “SOS Mobbing” telephone service using the number 0800-300-601 and the features it offers was also presented in details to the audience.

At the end of this roundtable numerous questions of participants were discussed, so the roundtable ended with the discussion and interaction of all participants.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes this year participates in the 63^rd International Belgrade Book Fair. With the support of the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy, at the stand of the Ministry, representatives of the Agency will inform visitors on the Agency's competencies and practices on a daily basis at their information desk.

Visitors will also receive precise information on individual and collective labor disputes that can be resolved in the procedure before the Agency.

Also, on Tuesday, October 23^rd, at 10 am, in Hall 3A of Belgrade Fair, at the stand of the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy, the Agency will hold a round table on the topic “SOS Mobbing” telephone service of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, where audience can hear director of the Agency, Mile Radivojević, Olga Vučković Kićanović, and the conciliators and arbitrators Dejan Spasojević Ivančić and Vera Kondić.

The Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy will present itself at the 63^rd International Belgrade Book Fair under the slogan J=DNAKI (=QUAL) in Hall 3A, with the aim of presenting and informing the public about the competencies, services and activities offered within this sector for the purpose of improvement of quality of life for all citizens.

We invite you to support our round table on Tuesday, October 23^rd, at 10 o'clock, as well as the initiatives of the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy and with direct efforts to contribute to further affirmation of the principle of equality.

The Second Interactive Seminar for Conciliators and Arbitrators in 2018 on subject “Law amendments and labor disputes in practice” was held on October 19^th 2018 in Belgrade in Palace “Serbia”.

The lecture on the topic “Practice of the Supreme Court of Cassation in the field of labor disputes” was delivered by the judge of the Supreme Court of Cassation in Belgrade Lidija Djukić. The topic of the second panel was dedicated to the peaceful resolution of labor disputes in the Republika Srpska, which was elaborated by Dr Borislav Radić, director of the Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes of Republika Srpska. The last panel of the Second Interactive Seminar of Conciliators and Arbitrators was dedicated to the novelties in the amendments to the Law on the Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes, discussed by Dragana Andonovska and the mediation in abuse at work discussed by Olga Vučković Kićanović. Within the last panel, the participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with examples from the practice of arbitrators and conciliators Milun Petković and Nataša Arsić Jelić.

The special importance of these seminars is the fact that the harmonization of practice reduces the citizens' uncertainty regarding the epilogue of initiated procedures for peaceful resolution of labor disputes before the Agency.

The second interactive seminar for conciliators and arbiters in 2018 on the subject "Changing Laws and Labour Disputes in Practice", planned within the Special Professional Training Program for Conciliators and Arbiters for this year, will be held on Friday, 19 October, 2018, at 9:30 am, at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade.

The seminar was organized with the aim of further professional development of conciliators and arbiters in the field of individual labour disputes.

After the registration of the participants and the introductory address by the Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Mile Radivojević, the lecture on the topic "Practice of the Supreme Court of Cassation in the Field of Labour Disputes" will be held by the judge of the Supreme Court of Cassation in Belgrade Lidija Đukić. The topic of the second panel will be dedicated to the peaceful resolution of labour disputes in Republika Srpska, which will be discussed by Dr Borislav Radić, Director of the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes of Republika Srpska. The final panel of the Second Interactive Seminar of Conciliators and Arbiters will be dedicated to the amendments and supplements to the Law on the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes which will be discussed by Dragana Andonovska, while Olga Vučković Kićanović will be speaking about mediation in abuse at work. Within the last panel, the participants will also hear examples from arbiters and conciliators Milun Petković and Nataša Arsić Jelić.

These seminars are particularly important due to the fact that the harmonisation of practice reduces the citizens' uncertainty in the epilogue of procedures for peaceful resolution of labour disputes initiated before the Agency.

On Thursday, September 13th 2018, the Chamber of Italian-Serbian Businessmen organized a working breakfast attended by the Minister of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Mr. Zoran Djordjević, H.E. Ambassador of Italy to Belgrade, Mr. Carlo Lo Cascio, President of the Chamber of Italian-Serbian Businessmen Giorgio Marchegiani, First Secretary of the Embassy Mr. Matthias Claivaz, Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Resolution of Labor Disputes, Mile Radivojević, then members of the Minister’s team Bojana Stanić, Stevan Djurović, Marina Furtula and many others.

Following the welcoming speech of the Ambassador of Italy, the President of the Chamber of Italian - Serbian Businessmen Mr. Marchegiani, the audience was addressed by Minister Zoran Djordjević who presented the competencies of the Ministry and spoke about future plans regarding the amendments of the existing legal regulations.

Agency Director Mile Radivojević presented the scope of work of the Agency and the possible directions of cooperation, and through interactive discussion with representatives of companies, various issues and problems faced by workers and employers in everyday business were considered, in relation with the existing legal framework.

The whole event took place in a working atmosphere and an interactive discussion.

With assistance of the Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, the Recommendation on the Peaceful Settlement of the Collective Labour Dispute at PUC "Parking Service Kragujevac" was signed on Tuesday, August 7, 2018.

The proposal for peaceful resolution of the collective labour dispute at PUC "Parking Service Kragujevac" was submitted by the Trade Union of Employees of PUC "Parking Service Kragujevac". The subject of the dispute was the application of the collective agreement with the employer. The other party to the dispute, the management of PUC "Parking Service Kragujevac" accepted to peacefully resolve this dispute.

Ružica Erceg was assigned for the acting conciliator. The conciliator formed the Conciliation Committee in accordance with the law which included one representative of each trade union and of the employer. After three deliberations of the Conciliation Committee, the dispute was concluded peacefully since the parties reached an agreement and signed the Recommendation on the Peaceful Settlement of the Collective Labour Dispute.

Representatives of the employer of PUC "Parking Service Kragujevac” and the Trade Union of Employees of PUC "Parking Service Kragujevac" conducted this proceeding in good faith and with intent to respect the objective business situation, thus demonstrating how to properly conduct the social dialogue between the employees and the employer.

The Annual Regional Conference of the Network of Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes Agencies organized by the International Labour Organization, with the support of the Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission, was held from July 4 to July 6 2018 in Arandjelovac.

The conference was attended by representatives of regional authorities for peaceful settlement of labour disputes: National Institute for Conciliation and Arbitration (Bulgaria), Directorate for Social Dialogue (Romania), Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes (Montenegro), Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes of the Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Association of Professional Mediators and Arbitrators in Labour Disputes (Republic of Macedonia), as well as the representatives and experts of the International Labour Organization, the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and the " Employment and Social Affairs Platform" (ESAP) project.

In the course of several days, the policies of the participating countries in this field were presented, the experiences in the work of the national agencies for peaceful settlement of labour disputes and the more efficient involvement of mediators in the settlement of labour disputes were discussed in order to improve social dialogue, harmonize practices and reduce the burden of courts. Also, the ESAP database of case studies from participating countries was presented, which aims to facilitate the exchange of experiences and improvement of skills and knowledge of conciliators and arbiters in labour disputes.

Also, the situation in the field of peaceful settlement of labour disputes in the Republic of Serbia, the normative framework for the operation of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes were assessed, and the achieved results and observed problems in practice were presented. Particular importance was given to the role of social dialogue, i.e. the role of representative social partners in creating and implementing the policy of peaceful settlement of labour disputes.

On the last day of the conference, Mr Scot Beckenbaugh, the Deputy Director of the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service gave a lecture attended by the conciliators and arbiters of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. The guest from the United States informed the participants about the history, organization and the work method of the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and presented several case studies.

At the end of the conference, commendation plaques for the organisation of the conference and promotion of the institution of peaceful settlement of labour disputes were awarded to Scot Beckenbaugh, Deputy Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Susanne Nielsen, Chief Technical Adviser of the ESAP project, Cristina Mihes, Senior Advisor for Social Dialogue in the International Labour Organization and to the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy Zoran Djordjevic.

In his address to the participants, Minister Djordjevic said that the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes has a leading role in the process of harmonization of the employees - employer - state relation as the only specialized institution for labour legal disputes and as such has the full support from the Ministry and the Prime Minister Republic of Serbia Ana Brnabic.

The Minister thanked the conciliators and arbitrators for previous successful work and the efforts they invest in the affirmation and visibility of the institute of peaceful settlement of disputes.