24. 04. 2015.

Today, in Belgrade, through the mediation of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and the representatives of two trade unions – the Union of Education Workers’ Syndicate of Serbia (USPRS) and the Union of Education Workers of Serbia (SRPS), whereby a five-month long strike of Serbian education workers has ceased.The Agency started to address the strike problem of education workers on 25 December 2014, upon the proposal of all four representative trade unions – Branched Syndicate of Education Workers of Serbia „Independence“, Serbian Syndicate of Education, Union of Education Workers’ Syndicate of Serbia, and Union of Education Workers of Serbia. All four mentioned trade unions participated in this procedure together with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. After only two meetings the text of Special Collective Agreement was agreed and the Recommendation was signed, which resolved all disputable issues in connection with collective bargaining and adoption of the Special Collective Agreement.In this Recommendation, it was agreed that all disputable issues which are not regulated by the Collective Agreement the representative trade unions and the Ministry will resolve by the Agreement between the Parties in Dispute, not later than 26 January 2015. This Agreement was signed by two trade unions, Branched Syndicate of Education Workers of Serbia „Independence“ and Serbian Syndicate of Education, whereas the Union of Education Workers’ Syndicate of Serbia, and the Union of Education Workers of Serbia continued strike, refusing to sign the Agreement.The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, upon the initiative of the Union of Education Workers’ Syndicate of Serbia, acting ex officio, contributed to the fact that negotiations were reassumed on 30 March 2015. Negotiations were continued between the Ministry and two representative trade unions which, upon the completion of the previous negotiation cycle, did not sign either Special Collective Agreement or Agreement on Resolution of Disputable Issues. Mediation of the Agency was in the best interest of not only the parties to the dispute but also, and notably, of the students and their parents.Both procedures were conducted by a conciliator of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Professor Živko Kulić, Ph.D. Mediation of the Agency and Conciliator resulted in the cessation of strike and today’s signing of the Agreement.The Agreement, afterwhich the strike in education has ceased, shows the importance of amicable resolution of group disputes arising from labour because the dialogue, coupled with the mediation of conciliators, is the most efficient way to put an end to a dispute.