13. 10. 2025.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes participated in the XXVII International Scientific and Professional Conference of the Association for Labour Law and Social Security of the Republic of Serbia, held from 8 to 11 October 2025 at Zlatibor.

This year’s Conference brought together numerous distinguished experts in the field of labour law and social security from Serbia and the region, representatives of state institutions, trade unions, employers, academia, and international organizations, to discuss the topic “Labour Law in New Circumstances: Challenges and Solutions.”

At the ceremonial opening, the Director of the Republic Agency for the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Dr Ivica Lazović, welcomed the participants and expressed his satisfaction with the continuously growing number of attendees each year. In his opening remarks, he emphasized that changes in labour relations are both inevitable and constant, while the individual worker remains the one most exposed to pressure and challenges.

In addition to Dr Lazović, the participants were also addressed by Professor Dr Bojan Urdarević, President of the Association for Labour Law and Social Security, Professor Dr Živko Kulić, conciliator and arbitrator of the Agency, and Dr Jovan Protić, National Coordinator of the International Labour Organization in Belgrade.

In the working part of the Conference, Dr Ivica Lazović presented a paper titled “Transnationalization of Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes – a Challenge for the Future,” highlighting the importance of cross-border cooperation between institutions dealing with alternative labour dispute resolution, as well as the need to improve these practices in line with European standards and new conditions in which labour relations are developing.

The Agency also actively participated in a roundtable discussion entitled “Resolution of Individual and Collective Labour Disputes,” which brought together judges, professors, conciliators, and arbitrators to address current challenges in practice and propose improvements to peaceful dispute resolution procedures.

During the panel “The State of Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining in Serbia,” the Agency’s Director, Dr Ivica Lazović, emphasized the need to strengthen social dialogue, stressing that social partners must actively cooperate and that the Agency is always ready to provide expert support. At the panel “Labour Legislation in the Function of Sustainable Business and Economic Growth,” which gathered representatives of employers and the Agency, Dr Lazović spoke about the necessity for the private sector to increasingly resort to peaceful methods of resolving labour disputes.

Throughout the three-day Conference, numerous topics of importance for labour legislation were discussed — from the new Labour Law and the state of social dialogue in Serbia to challenges in exercising the right to strike, the status of freelancers, flexible forms of work, workers’ rights on digital platforms, and the impact of artificial intelligence on labour relations.

It was concluded that such gatherings are of exceptional importance for the exchange of knowledge and experience and for creating an environment in which labour law reforms will be based on a balance between economic efficiency and social justice.