On 29th April 2016, Minister for Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs Aleksandar Vulin visited the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes and SOS mobbing line and expressed the view that the Ministry is trying to help its users in all of its departments, whether it is the Disability and Pension Fund, the National Agency for Employment or the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.Minister Vulin expressed his conviction that the SOS mobbing line is a way to bring services closer to all people. He considers that in this way the public can have some issues and problems explained and resolved.According to the Minister, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes has not been sufficiently recognized in the last years, although it has a very important role, and expressed his expectation that soon with the Amendments of the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes the role of the Agency will be set differently. However, he emphasized that until this happens, the Agency must be available to each person, and the SOS mobbing phone line is a way to find out more about the mobbing phenomenon, to leave the possibility to defend the employee and find out when something unwanted is happening. The Minister urged the public to use the free SOS mobbing line as often as possible.Minister Vulin thinks that the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes proved very effective as an organization that is able to help both the employer and the employee, when problems occur in the company.The director of the Agency, Mile Radivojević, stated that in less than a month of working, the free telephone SOS mobbing service received a total of 308 calls from citizens, of whom 30 used the opportunity for discussion and consultation with the lawyers of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes.According to him, people from a landline phone will get, by calling the toll-free number 0800-300-601 and selecting the appropriate numbers from 1 to 5, the accurate information about what mobbing is and what actions it implies and which models of protection from mobbing there are in the legal system of the Republic of Serbia.The director of the Agency pointed out that the procedure before the Agency, which is free for the employer and the employee lasts up to 30 days, unlike court proceedings that last for several years.Furthermore, SOS mobbing service is available to citizens 24 hours a day, while talking with the legal department of the Agency is possible from 07.30 to 15.30, by calling the number 0800-300-601 and pressing the number 0.

On the 19th April 2016, in MP Club in Belgrade the first meeting of the Working Group was held to prepare the Draft Law on Amendments of the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. At the initiative of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs established the Working roup to prepare the Draft Law on Amendments of the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. The Working Group has the task of preparing a preliminary version of the Draft Law, in order to improve the institution of peaceful settlement of labour disputes and overcome the problems indicated by the ten-year practice in work of mediators and arbiters. The aim of the law change is the empowerment of alternative ways of settlement of labour disputes and its effects, as well as strengthening the role of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes in order to become the leading institution of harmonization of relations between the social partners and the advocate of social peace and the right to dignified work.The Working Group includes representatives of the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs and the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Ministry of Justice, representative trade unions – the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia and Nezavisnost TUC, The Association of Employers, prominent experts in this field, and if necessary, the working Group will bring together representatives of other institutions, as well as experts, advisors and consultants who have the knowledge relevant to the preparation of a preliminary version of the Draft Law on amendments to the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labor Disputes.Working Group is obliged to prepare the Draft Law on amendments of the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes by the end of December 2016.

The first interactive seminar of The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes for mediators and arbiters in the year 2016, within the framework of the Special Programme for the Training of Mediators and Arbiters, was held on 25th March 2016, starting at 10 a.m. in Belgrade, at the Palace of Serbia.The Seminar was organized for the purpose of professional development of mediators and arbiters as the key requirement for the efficient functioning of the legal and labour related protection and improvement of social dialogue.After the introductory speech of the Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Mile Radivojević, mediators and arbiters were informed of the most common dilemmas in the field of collective bargaining, discussed by Dragana Kralj from the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs. After this, a mediator and arbiter Dr Živko Kulić opened a debate on practical examples and issues in settlement of collective labour disputes.[gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="1044,1043,1046,1042"]Snežana Andrejević, a judge of the Supreme Court of Cassation gave a lecture on the case law in the field of labour disputes, while Snežana Bogdanović and Danijela Rajković from the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs spoke about the practical aspects of the settlements in individual labour disputes. A mediator and arbiter Dejana Spasojević Ivančić shared her practical experiences in the field of individual labour disputes, but all the participants made their contributions through the exchange of experiences and active participation, since the main idea of the seminar was to indicate the practical experiences and problems in the implementation of the Law on the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes in practice and find common ways to overcome the problems with the objective of further work improvement and harmonization of practice.

Through the mediation of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes employees and administration of Radio Television Kragujevac have today concluded an agreement which ended the collective labour dispute over unpaid wages and contributions.Representatives of the employees and employers have signed an agreement under which the conditions were met for the employees to return to work and Radio Television Kragujevac to continue with an efficient operation and broadcasting.The conciliation procedure was initiated by the employer, with the consent of the other party and doc. Dr. Bojan Urdarević was appointed as the conciliator.The conciliator formed The Conciliation Committee, which consisted of delegated representatives of workers, the employer and the conciliator.Only two days after the first hearing was held, the conciliator has made the Recommendation, according to which the agreement was signed between the employees and the employer and which ended the dispute in the best possible way.Upon the issue of the Recommendation and the signing of the Agreement, the conditions for continuation of the efficient functioning of RT Kragujevac were met, to the satisfaction of both parties in the dispute.The director of `RT Kragujevac’ and union representatives showed how to properly discuss social issues between employees and employers, opting for a process of peaceful settlement of the collective labour dispute, instead of a long and costly litigation.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes and the Human Resource Management Service signed a Cooperation Agreement on 17th March 2016, which has enabled conciliators and arbitrators to further develop their skills in the areas relevant for the institute of peaceful settlement of labour disputes. By participating in the trainings conducted by the Human Resources, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes further strengthens its human resource potential and contributes to the strengthening of the visibility and promoting the benefits of this institute.In addition to the adopted Programme of Professional Training, which provides mandatory in-house training, voluntary external trainings contribute to the possibilities for further development. The Agreement also provides that mediators and arbitrators as lecturers share their practical experiences in the field of labour disputes, which will contribute to prevention of labor disputes in the public sector. Trainings overview organized by the Human Resources can be found on the web site www.suk.gov.rs

The collective dispute which arose regarding the use of the Special collective agreement for employees in primary and secondary schools was ended through the mediation of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.The Conciliation Committee comprised of the representative of the four 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), the representative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and the conciliator of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. The Committee issued a Recommendation on Collective Labor Disputes Resolution on the 19th February 2016. The issued Recommendation shall define the manner of calculation and payment of redundancy benefits, jubilee awards, as well as employee transportation costs. The said Recommendation shall also define the criteria for identifying employees who have been made redundant, with full or part-time employment in primary and secondary schools.Upon the issue of the Recommendation, the conditions for continuation of the efficient functioning of the system of education in the field of primary and secondary education were met.A collective labor dispute between the same parties is still in progress before the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes regarding the implementation of the Agreement on the resolution of issues, signed on 18th February 2015.

Through the mediation of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, a week-long strike in Republic Geodetic Authority was terminated and work process was normalized.In order to minimize damaging consequences, representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government and Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure were all included in collective labour dispute before the Agency between Republic Geodetic Authority and Strikers’ Committee – Unified trade union of RGA, Trade Union ”Nezavisnost” of RGA and Trade Union of Employees of RGA.During the procedure, the Government of the Republic of Serbia, in order to permanently resolve all disputable issues in RGA, has reached a Decision on formation of Working Group whose purpose is to propose a program for restructuring of Republic Geodetic Authority. The main task of this Working Group is to do an analysis of total number of employees, suggest new internal organizational structures, determine optimal number of services in local self-government units, determine the dynamics for resolving backlog cases as well as financing method and other important issues.In a constructive atmosphere and with a complete trust in satisfactory outcome of the procedure, representatives of trade union organizations and employer have issued and adopted Recommendation, thus making the termination of strike possible.The procedure before the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes was conducted by Živko Kulić PhD, a conciliator who is entered into the Agency Directory of conciliators and arbiters.

Belgrade, December 1, 2015. The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes celebrated 10th anniversary in MP Club in Belgrade. Many guests, trade union representatives, employers, representatives of industries and government administration and representatives of the media attended this jubilee. Within this anniversary celebration, two-day training on collective bargaining was organized and supported by International Labour Organization.Mile Radivojević, Agency Director, pointed out in his opening speech that the introduction of institute of peaceful settlement of labour disputes in national legislation improved social protection and harmonized the relationship between the employer and employees. He also added that the institute of peaceful settlement of labour disputes asserted itself as an alternative to court procedures thus relieving the caseload pressure on the courts. Even though there are some employers and employees who do not understand this institute, we should not deviate from what is good. With the support of the Government, the Ministry of Labour, all social partners and International Labour Organization, the Agency will become recognized as the leading institution for harmonization of labour relations and safe guarder of social peace and right to decent work.The Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin pointed out that the work of the Agency is very important method for establishment of social dialogue.„The period of thieving privatizations which lasted 12 years contributed the development of major social differences, bad relations between the employer and the employees and infringement of principles of fundamental justice, but the Agency makes the establishment of social dialogue possible once again“, said Vulin. Vulin also added that the greatest number of disputes, after the strike and work stoppage disputes, results from mobbing, and the Agency turned out to be more successful in such situations than the courts. According to the Minister, that gives us the opportunity to avoid court costs, to become more rational and to have better relations with employees in production process.Antonio Graziosi, director of Office for Central and Eastern Europe at International Labour Organization added that in the near future, the ILO will sign an agreement with the European Union which would enable better integration and cooperation between the countries of the Western Balkans and EU members in the field of labour. One of the priorities of such program will be peaceful settlement of labour disputes.After the celebration, experts from ILO Cristina Mihes and Carlos Carrion-Crespo held two-day training on collective bargaining for conciliators and arbiters.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes in cooperation with International Labour Organization will organize training on collective bargaining and celebrate Agency’s 10th Anniversary on December 1, 2015 at 9 a.m. at MP Club, Tolstojeva 2 in Belgrade.The Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin, Antonio Graziosi, director of Office for Central and Eastern Europe at International Labour Organization, Borislav Radić and Zdenka Burzan directors of the agencies for peaceful settlement of labour disputes in Montenegro and the Republic of Srpska will officially open the Training.The training will focus on topics that relate to legal and institutional framework for peaceful settlement of labour disputes in Serbia, relation between negotiation and conciliation, principles of collective bargaining according to ILO Standards, costs and advantages of different types of negotiating.The representatives of International Labour Organization will be Cristina Mihes, Senior Specialist for Social Dialogue and Labour Law, Carlos Carrion-Crespo, International Labour Organization Expert and Jovan Protić, National Coordinator for Serbia at International Labour Organization.

Conciliators and arbiters of the Agency Senad Jašarević PhD, Živko Kulić PhD and Vera Kondić presented the legal institute of peaceful settlement of labour disputes at the Discussion Forum that was held on Friday, October 30 at 6 p.m. in Hall 1A of Belgrade Fair, at exhibition stand of Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs.After opening speech of Mr. Mile Radivojević, Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Senad Jašarević PhD explained the importance of peaceful settlement of collective labour disputes, whereas Živko Kulić PhD explained the practice of individual and collective labour disputes. Workplace harassment and mobbing were presented by Vera Kondić, Agency conciliator with over 30 years experience in this field.The Discussion Forum pointed out the importance of affirmation of peaceful settlement of labour disputes since it is an adequate alternative to court procedure. In addition, peaceful settlement of labour disputes is very significant for prevention of radical measures i.e. work stoppage which might increase the costs and at the same time, it might waste considerable resources and time on court procedures.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes for the first time participates in the 60th International Belgrade Book Fair. Since the Agency has full support from the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, its representatives will present the Agency and inform the visitors of its mandate and ten years’ experience at information desk set within the exhibition stand of the Ministry.The visitors will be informed about strategic orientation of the Agency i.e. social dialogue improvement, prevention and decrease in number of strikes, free and efficient approach to justice and right to decent work. The visitors will also be provided with precise information on individual and collective labour disputes that could be settled before the Agency within one month time limit.You are invited to participate in discussion forum that will be held on Friday, October 30 at 6 p.m. in Hall 1A of Belgrade Fair at exhibition stand of Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs. The legal institute of peaceful settlement of labour disputes will be presented by experienced conciliators and arbiters of the Agency – Živko Kulić PhD, Senad Jašarević PhD and Vera Kondić.

The Third Interactive Seminar of conciliators and arbiters, planned within the strategy for performance improvement of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, was held on October 2, 2015 in the Palace of Serbia, Belgrade.Similarly to the previous seminars, the objective of the Third Interactive Seminar was continual professional development of conciliators and arbiters and exchange of practical experience with the aim of harmonisation of arbitration practice. In addition, the Seminar provided an opportunity for conciliators and arbiters of the Agency to get familiar with new information system and web application that would, to a large extent, facilitate their work.In the introductory part of Seminar, the Agency Director Mile Radivojević informed the audience on Strategy realization and achieved objectives, defined by the Work plan. He paid special attention to the process of Agency modernisation which was initiated with the introduction of new software that would facilitate the work of all employees, arbiters and conciliators of the Agency.The educational part of the Seminar was marked by 4 presentations. Thus, new theoretical knowledge and practical skills were presented to arbiters and conciliators.National coordinator of negotiation teams of MOI of the Republic of Serbia Tatjana Kljun held the presentation on ”Basic guidelines on crisis negotiation”. The next presentation on „Practical aspects of conciliation process in labour disputes in the Republic of Serbia’’ was held by Agency conciliator, Bojan Urdarević PhD, docent.The second part of the Seminar introduced new information system and new web application, through presentations on „Electronic Document Management’’ and „Integrated software solution that facilitates the work of conciliators and arbiters“. The presentations were held by IT experts Jovan Gruber, Aleksandar Makaj, Milan Todorović and Borisav Živković.All conciliators and arbiters who attended the Seminar were awarded Certificates of Completion of Training for ”Arhileus” software application.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes delivered a presentation in Nišava Administrative District in order to introduce the concept of peaceful settlement of collective and individual labour disputes to social partners and interested public. Aleksandar Cvetković, PhD, Head of Nišava Administrative District and representatives of Nišava District Trade Union and Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, labour inspectors and the media attended the presentation.Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Mile Radivojević, in his introductory statement, pointed out the fact that previous period in Nišava Administrative District was marked by numerous strikes, protests and other expressions of dissatisfaction due to infringement of workers’ rights. Initiation of strike or other court procedures related to labour is very expensive and usually very damaging form of fight for workers’ rights. In order to harmonize labour relations and provide right to dignified work, the audience was presented with the benefits of procedures before the Agency.With the consent of both parties to the dispute, workers and their employers have an alternative to settle labour dispute. Having in mind a 10-year-long experience and intellectual potential of conciliators and arbiters, the audience was advised to refer to the Agency and settle labour disputes amicably.Presentations were delivered by Ivica Lazović, MSc. Agency Deputy Director and Olga Vučković Kićanović, Agency Independent Advisor.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia, in its Conclusion, recommends to public sector to settle collective and individual labour disputes before the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, in accordance with the Law.The Recommendation refers to all government bodies, public administrative bodies, public agencies, provincial bodies, bodies of local self-government units, public enterprises and other forms of organisations established by the Republic of Serbia, as well as other companies established by the Republic of Serbia or government-owned companies, institutions and other public services funded by the Republic of Serbia.This Conclusion was passed to save budget funds since it was estimated that one day of strike costs large public enterprises from fifty thousand to half a million Euros whereas court proceedings for individual labour disputes are long-lasting and very expensive.To a large extent, the Recommendation would relieve caseload pressure on the courts and achieve strategic orientation of the Government which implies that each person has a right to decent work.The experience showed us that in case of labour disputes, conflicts, mobbing and similar adverse situations in labour relations, procedures before the Agency turn out to be the most efficient and completely free of charge methods for dispute resolution before independent conciliators and arbiters.

Air Serbia management and representatives of two representative trade unions signed the first collective agreement after twenty years.Collective Agreement was signed on 5 June 2015, between the representative of employer Air Serbia and representatives of Trade Union of Air Serbia workers in the field of commerce, economy and law and Unified trade union of flight attendants. The Agreement was signed in Company headquarters in Belgrade in the presence of Assistant Minister in charge of Air traffic Zoran Ilić and conciliator of the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes Bojan Urdarević.Since the last collective agreement in national airline was signed in June 1995, this new agreement is of utmost importance and it is expected to be a sound basis for prosperous business.In February, the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, at the initiative of representative trade unions and with the consent of the employer, has initiated bargaining procedure regarding the adoption of Air Serbia Collective Agreement. In accordance with the Law, the Conciliation Panel was formed and it consisted of representatives of representative trade unions and employer. Conciliation procedure before the Agency was conducted by conciliator Bojan Urdarević. After four months of constructive and analytical negotiations, the procedure was positively finalized and it resulted in signing the collective agreement.

In order to inform and make all social partners familiar with Agency competence, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes has made promotional posters that will be posted on notice boards of trade unions, regional chambers of commerce, Association of Employers, Labour Inspectorate and Basic Courts within the territory of the Republic of Serbia.This type of communication represents a simple and fast method for making workers and their employers familiar with the Agency as an institution which harmonizes labour relations, safeguards social peace and ensures right to decent work.We paid special attention to refer potential parties to the dispute to competence and other activities and information on the Agency that may easily be found on Agency’s official website. The poster has a modern design. A ‘’labyrinth’’ takes central position of the poster and it represents all the issues the workers and their employers deal with on a daily basis. The walls of ‘’labyrinth’’ represent the competence of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. QR code, being the labyrinth exit, refers all interested parties to Agency’s website where they may obtain more information on the Agency and process of amicable settlement of labour disputes. In addition, the poster contains contact details of the Agency – phone numbers and address for all persons willing to personally contact Agency officers.

Representative trade unions of PUC Stan from Novi Sad, Trade Union of Employees in Public Utilities and Housing Services, “Nezavisnost’’ and “Solidarnost’’ have reached a unilateral decision to terminate the strike and to exercise their rights before Court.On 19 May, representative trade unions of PUC Stan from Novi Sad made a decision to go on strike until the fulfilment of their demands which included the payment of three wages with contributions and extension of health insurance cards.After being informed on strike commencement, in accordance with Article 18 of the Law on Amicable Resolution of Labour Disputes, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes initiated the procedure of amicable settlement of collective labour dispute. Conciliation Panel was formed, which consisted of the representatives of PUC Stan employers and their founder – the city of Novi Sad, as well as representative trade unions – Trade Union of Employees in Public Utilities and Housing Services, Trade union “Nezavisnost’’ and Trade union “Solidarnost’’. In the past few days, two hearings were held in the presence of all members of the Panel.Today, before official termination of conciliation procedure and Recommendation on dispute resolution, representative trade unions have reached a unilateral decision to terminate the strike and exercise their rights before the Court.„Conciliation procedure before the Agency, conducted by the conciliator, Dejana Spasojević Ivančić, was in the best interest of parties to dispute and all citizens of Novi Sad, since the Recommendation envisaged the problem and proposed a compromise solution that was in the interest of all parties“, said Mile Radivojević, the director of the Agency. He also added that the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes will continue to promote the significance of amicable settlement of collective labour disputes, even in cases when disputes are long-running and piled up problems seem to be unsolvable.

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.

The Second Interactive Seminar of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes planned within the strategy for Agency performance improvement was held on March 20, 2015 in the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade.The Seminar was organised with the aim of professional development and education of conciliators and arbiters and harmonisation of arbitration practice as a key condition for efficient labour-right protection and social dialogue improvement through the procedure of peaceful settlement of labour disputes.In introductory part, director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes Mile Radivojević opened the Seminar and informed the audience on strategy realisation and goals achieved according to the Work plan. He paid special attention to the modernisation of Agency activities, work transparency and results accomplished in the first quarter of 2015. He also emphasised the increasing number of collective disputes and their successful resolution. Concerning the individual disputes, he pointed out the constant increase in number of disputes related to right to work with dignity. In conclusion, he stressed the importance of continuous work required to achieve the mission and vision of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.[gallery columns="5" link="file" ids="998,1003,1002,1001,1000,1004,1006,1005,999,1007"]Before the educational part of Seminar, the new Agency website, which remained at the old address www.ramrrs.gov.rs, was presented to arbiters and conciliators. The advantages of new website are the interactive approach to users and complete transparency of Agency work and ongoing procedures before the Agency.The educational part of Seminar was marked by four lectures that presented new theoretical knowledge and practical skills to conciliators and arbiters through practice examples.Conciliator and arbiter Živko Kulić, PhD gave lecture on ”Current situation analysis of collective bargaining in the Republic of Serbia”, Zoran Radulović, PhD a conciliator and arbiter presented his work on ”Significance of strike settlement with the participation of RAMRRS conciliators”, Aleksandra Janković, a clinical psychologist at the Clinical Centre of Serbia contributed with presentation on ”Psychological aspects of mobbing” and Vera Kondić BPsych, mediation specialist and conciliator of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes participated with presentation on ”Experience gained through application of the Law on the Prevention of Harassment at the Workplace”. Through their lectures, they contributed to the improvement and efficiency of arbiters and conciliators’ performance as well as the improvement of their knowledge and skills required for successful performance.Those lectures served as an introduction to the discussion which provided an exchange of opinions and experiences and concluded the Second Interactive Seminar.

The Second Interactive Seminar of conciliators and arbiters is planned as the part of Strategy for performance improvement of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. The seminar will be held on March 20th at 10 a.m. in Belgrade, at the Palace of Serbia, Assembly Hall 233 on the second floor of the west wing.The seminar is being organised with the aim of professional development of conciliators and arbiters which is the basic condition for efficient protection of labour rights and improvement of social dialogue.After introductory statements of the Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Mile Radivojević, new website www.ramrrs.gov.rs will be presented. Later on, four presentations will be held by the following lecturers: Živko Kulić PhD, a conciliator and arbiter who will give presentation on ”Current situation analysis of collective bargaining in the Republic of Serbia”, Zoran Radulović PhD, a conciliator and arbiter will present his work on ”Significance of strike settlement with the participation of RAMRRS conciliators”, Aleksandra Janković, a clinical psychologist will contribute with the presentation on ”Psychological aspects of mobbing” and Vera Kondić B.Psy., mediation specialist and conciliator of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes will participate with the presentation on ”Experience gained through the application of Law on the Prevention of Harassment at the Workplace”.Afterward, a discussion is scheduled for the purpose of further performance improvement and practice harmonization.

Through the mediation of the Agency for peaceful settlement of labour disputes, after a two-week work stoppage, the employees of ‘’Niskogradnja’’ d.o.o. terminated the strike and continued regular winter road maintenance. Three unpaid wages were the cause of this strike.According to the Law on amicable resolution of labour disputes, the Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes Mile Radivojević has initiated the conciliation procedure that was conducted in a constructive atmosphere and resulted in a Recommendation adopted by the representatives of trade union organization and the employer.Consequently, the Agreement on strike termination was signed stipulating the payment of unpaid wages for December of 2014, strike termination and normalization of work process. The schedule for payment of the remaining debt was specified, as well. The President of Strike board and management of Niskogradnja d.o.o. Niš have expressed their satisfaction regarding the pace at which the agreement was reached, work process was normalized and strike requests were fulfilled.The procedure before the Agency for peaceful settlement of labour disputes was administered by Goran Obradović PhD, full professor at the Faculty of Law in Niš, who is entered into the Agency List of conciliators and arbiters.

The First Interactive Seminar for conciliators and arbiters was planned as the part of Strategy for performance improvement of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. The seminar was held on December 26th at 10 a.m. at MP Club, Tolstojeva 2 in Belgrade.The seminar is organised with the aim of professional development of conciliators and arbiters which is the basic condition for efficient protection of labour rights and improvement of social dialogue.Within the collective disputes, the focus was on strengthening of bargaining techniques and skills that are very important for successful social dialogue. Regarding the individual disputes, the emphasis was on mobbing as the most numerous individual dispute. Seminar ended with the panel discussion that included all participants.[gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="993,992,991,989"]Aleksandar Vulin, Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Mile Radivojević, Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes and the guests, Zdenka Burzan and Borislav Radić, directors of the agencies for peaceful settlement of labour disputes in Montenegro and the Republic of Srpska, as well as Jovan Protić, national coordinator of International Labour Organisation in Serbia addressed the audience in introductory part of the Seminar.The seminar lecturers were Živko Kulić Ph.D., conciliator and arbiter that gave lecture on ‘’Collective labour disputes’’, Dejana Spasojević Ivančić, conciliator and arbiter who presented the topic of ‘’Individual labour disputes’’ and Olga Kićanović, independent advisor in the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes contributed to the Seminar with ‘’Identification, prevention, processing and sanctioning of mobbing’’ and ‘’Skills and techniques of bargaining during social dialogue’’. Regional guests shared their experience regarding the aforementioned topics with conciliators and arbiters.

Through the mediation of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, the staff of the division Sleeping and Dining Car, which is a part of the company Želturs, last night removed a partial blockade from international trains operating on the route Budapest, Thessaloniki, Filah, Bar, Sofia. This has fully normalised the traffic after 25 days.Since 17 November, when the management of Želturs and Sleeping and Dining Car division and all trade unions asked the Agency to use its authority and assist in the resolution of the presented problems, the Agency conciliator, professor Zoran Radulović, in continuous consultations with parties to the dispute, has proposed several solutions for the resolution of this very complex situation. Placing full trust in the favourable outcome, the strikers removed a partial blockade from railway lines and rail traffic of which they informed the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour disputes.“A considerable progress has been made in negotiations and international rail traffic has been normalised after 25 days of partial blockades that resulted in huge losses to the Republic of Serbia “, Mile Radivojević, Acting Director of the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes said and added that in the coming days, the negotiations about strikers’ demands will continue.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes reacted urgently and terminated the strike in PE ‘’National Park Djerdap’’Within the limits of its competence, the Agency reacted to the announced strike scheduled for November 18th, thus achieving the agreement on strike termination and involvement of Agency regarding the relieving of caseload pressure, for the purpose of stabilization of disrupted relations between the management and the employees.Association of independent and free trade unions and representative trade union have reached the Decision on strike initiation in order to protect professional and economic interests of the employees.After being informed on strike announcement, the Agency Director Mile Radivojević visited PE ‘’National Park Djerdap’’ together with his associates. Upon the discussion that lasted several hours, an agreement is reached to terminate the strike for the purpose of permanent stabilization of relations. The negotiation proceedings regarding the collective agreement conclusion were brought before the Agency.Since the reason for strike was dissatisfaction of the employees in terms of management treatment, which, according to the strike board, resulted in mobbing, discrimination, intimidation and other forms of insults to personal and professional integrity, 26 Proposals for settlements of individual labour disputes regarding the harassment at the workplace have been filed with the Agency.According to the Law on amicable resolution of labour disputes (‘’Official Gazette of the RS’’ 125/04 and 104/09), the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes continues to act according to the limits of its competencies.