Social dialogue in the Republic of Serbia is strengthened by teaming up ILO, Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs and social partners

A new project “Strengthening of social dialogue in the Republic of Serbia” was launched on 18 September to strengthen social dialogue in Serbia. An environment where the rights and obligations of workers and employers are well-balanced, contributing to the development of a more stable, equal and successful society, the ILO (International Labour Organization), with funding from the European Union, is created by the government, employers and trade unions.
The value of the new project for the support of international partners and the capacity to respond to challenges was pointed out by Minister for Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs Nemanja Starović.
According to Emmanuel Julien, ILO Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, social dialogue should not be just an abstract set of rules, but a process with formal and informal aspects, customized to Serbia until it is a mature, useful, result-oriented, and recognized part of the society.
The contribution of the new project to the improvement of working conditions for all workers in Serbia was stressed by His Excellency Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, Emanuele Giaufret.
Zoran Mihajlović, the Secretary of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, expressed his happiness about the start of this project and his belief in necessity of strengthening of the framework of social dialogue. He said that it is the task on which all the parts should work seriously, diligently and with dedication, because the situation is not exactly what it should be.
According to Čedanka Andrić from the Trade Union Confederation NEZAVISNOST, the implementation of the project is expected to lead to a greater role for bipartite and tripartite negotiations and to stop the fragmentation of the labour law.
As Miloš Nenezić, President of the Union of Employers, explained, the support of the ILO and the EU is necessary for strengthening of social dialogue in Serbia as it is at a really low level.
Mr. Nenezić said that it is essential to prevent problems and address new challenges proactively to improve Serbian society, but it can only be done through a formal discussion of all three parties of this partnership, on the national, regional and local level.
Regulatory analyses, tripartite discussions and consultations and practical negotiation training will be undertaken to implement the 2.5-year project. All partners, namely the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, workers’ and employers’ organizations, the Social and Economic Council, and the Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes of the Republic of Serbia will strongly support it.

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