Belgrade, September 19, 2017 – The management and employees of Rail Vehicles Factory “Goša” from Smederevska Palanka concluded the Agreement on termination of collective labour dispute in the presence of the conciliator of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, prof. Dr Živko Kulić, which formally ended a five-month strike. The agreement was signed by the President of the Strike Committee Milan Vujičić and the General Manager Milutin Šćepanović.The agreement resolved all the issues between the employer and the Strike Committee, i.e. the continuation of the interrupted work process, the dynamics and method of payment of unpaid salaries as well as loan restructuring for payment of contributions on the basis of pension, disability and health insurance etc. The agreement came into effect on the day of the conclusion.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, recommended the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes as an institutional mechanism for settlement of labour disputes at the press conference, on the occasion of signing of the Agreement between ‘FIAT Automobiles Serbia’ and the Independent Trade Union FCA, which ended the strike and formally reached the agreement on the conditions of continuing operations.[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWv8qcG-F58[/embedyt]The Government of the Republic of Serbia intervened in ‘FIAT Automobiles Serbia’ to reach an agreement, in order to avoid a complete stoppage of production in a company employing more than 2,500 workers, and prevent the GDP, exports and subcontractors from suffering as well. However, for all other similar disputes, as stated, there is an institutional mechanism, which is the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. She emphasised that this was a non-institutional mechanism because of the entire situation, but she recommended that in all other situations we return to the institutions responsible for the case, namely the Agency, as the only proper way to resolve such disputes.

Belgrade, July 18, 2017 – The management and employees of Rail Vehicles Factory “Goša” from Smederevska Palanka decided to settle their labour dispute with the employer in a peaceful manner.A joint Proposal was submitted to the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes to initiate a procedure for peaceful settlement of a labour dispute between the employer and the strike committee in ‘’Goša’’ from Smederevska Palanka, on the occasion of a strike with an employer which had lasted in the company for a long time.Prof. Dr Živko Kulić, has been designated as the assigned conciliator in this case, who is registered in the Directory of Conciliators and Arbiters of the Agency.

 The Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs in cooperation with the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, organizes round tables in the framework of implementing the public discussion on the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, which will be held from 31 May to 20 June 2017.The round tables will be held in Belgrade on 8 June 2017, in Nis on 12 June 2017 and in Novi Sad, 14 June 2017.All the interested in attendance at round tables can apply via e-mail: rad@minrzs.gov.rs until Sunday, 4 June 2017 at the latest. It is necessary that the application states the name and surname, as well as the institution where the person comes from and the phone number. Given the limited number of places in halls where the public hearings are held, the advantage will be given to persons in order of registration on which they will be informed by telephone.An integral part of this public invitation is a Program of public discussion with the text of the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, on the grounds specified by the Committee for Economy and Finance.

A collective labour dispute between the Public Media Institution RTS and RTS ‘Independence’ trade union is led before the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. The subject of the dispute is the strike against the employer. The process is initiated ex officio, at the proposal of the Union, bearing in mind that the employer’s activity is of public interest, due to which the parties to the dispute are obliged to start executing the collective labour dispute.Namely, after the decision to go on a warning strike and starting the process of peaceful settlement of collective labour disputes, a Conciliation Committee was formed. After having the first hearing, the union decided not to keep previously announced one-hour work stoppage and to continue negotiations before the Committee.The Chairman of the Committee is prof. Dr Živko Kulić, registered in the Directory of Conciliators and Arbite

At the 68th regular session of the Social and Economic Council of the Republic of Serbia, on Tuesday, 18 April 2017, the Report on the Work of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes in 2016 was discussed.The Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes stipulates that the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes at the request of the Social Economic Council of the Republic of Serbia is to submit information regarding the record keeping data, as well as information on other issues of importance for the actions of peaceful settlement labour disputes. However, this had not been the practice, so a report on the work of the Agency was requested based on the conclusion of the meeting of the Permanent Committee for collective negotiation and the peaceful settlement of labour disputes Social and Economic Council of the Republic of Serbia. The report was discussed at this session and positively evaluated.The session was presided by the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs Aleksandar Vulin, and in his capacity as rapporteur the Director of the Agency Mile Radivojević.

The Management of the Public Enterprise “Post of Serbia” has given approval to a collective labour dispute with the Union of PTT of Serbia in order for the strike to be resolved peacefully in the proceedings before the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes and has agreed with the proposal of a Trade Union that the conciliator should be docent dr Bojan Urdarević.The Trade Union of the PTT of Serbia initiated the conciliation procedure before the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes regarding the strike dispute. The Main Board of the Union decided to go on a warning strike on 19 April, since the PE “Post of Serbia” is required by the law to carry out activities in the public interest and that they are legally bound to respect the minimum work process. The Union of PTT of Serbia, among other things, requires the return of earnings to the level before October 28, 2014, the abolition of the Regulation on the prohibition of public sector employment, respect for the law and the collective agreement for PE “Post of Serbia”, annulment of the decision for the removal of paid leave days and the ways of using annual leaves. It also requires the resolution of the status and raising of labour costs for workers who work under a contract of temporary work.The director of the “Post of Serbia” and the Union of PTT of Serbia representatives have showed how to properly lead the social dialogue between employees and employers, opting for a process of peaceful settlement of the collective labour dispute. In accordance with the recommendation of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the enterprises which are funded by public are to resolve labour disputes before the Agency in order to reduce the cost of procedures.

The first interactive seminar for mediators and arbiters of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour disputes in 2017, within the framework of the Special Programme for the Training of Mediators and Arbiters, was held on 10 March 2017, starting at 10 a.m. in Belgrade at the Palace of Serbia.The Seminar was organized for the purpose of professional development of conciliators and arbiters in the field of discrimination and maltreatment at work as an essential prerequisite for the efficient functioning of legal and labour related protection.After the introductory speech of the Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Mile Radivojević and the Deputy Director Ivica Lazović, mediators and arbiters were informed on the most common difficulties in the processing of mobbing in the judicial practice, which was discussed by Radmila Radić, a president of the Trial Civil Department of the Higher Court in Belgrade. A lecture on the theme ‘’How to Recognize Mobbing’’ was held by Olga Vučković Kićanović from the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, followed by a discussion on the subject. After this, Dr. Marjana Trkulja from the Ambulance for Mobbing and Stress at Work of the Serbian Institute of Occupational Health talked about psychological and health consequences of maltreatment at work and cases of mobbing in medical practice. The seminar ended with a targeted interactive interview in which the present arbitrators shared their own practical experiences in procedures related to maltreatment and discrimination at work and the practical possibilities of an amicable settlements of such disputes. Prof.Dr Živko Kulić, Dejan Spasojević Ivančić and Igor Kokanović shared their experiences with the objective of further work improvement and harmonization of the practice.

Management of the Public Utility Company ’Put’ Novi Sad has decided that labour disputes with employees, regarding the payments for jubilee awards and recourse for the previous period, will be resolved amicably in the proceedings before the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. This decision was fully in accordance with the recommendation of the Government of the Republic of Serbia that in order to save the costs of procedures, the users of public funds resolve labour disputes before the Agency.Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes received a total of 504 employees’ proposals in the Public Utility Company ’Put’ Novi Sad to resolve their labour dispute by arbiters from the Agency.After the approval by the management board of Public Utility Company ‘Put’ Novi Sad, from the list of mediators and arbiters of the Agency, the arbitrators for leading such procedures are-Dejan Spasojević Ivančić, Jovica Rašeta, Goran Kljajić, Ankica Kurjački, Kristina Blažić and Verica Hrnčjar.This is an example of good practice that individual labour disputes are settled peacefully, rather than in court proceedings. In this way all the unnecessary costs and expenses for both employees and the employers will be avoided, and employees will obtain arbitration decisions that are of the same legal force as the final court judgment within 30 days.

International Labour Organisation organized a tripartite workshop on amendments of the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes as part of the support to the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. The workshop was organized in hotel “Sloboda” in Šabac on 15th and 16th December with the participation of the social partners – the Union of Employers of Serbia, “Nezavisnost” TUC, the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia. Beside social partners, the workshop was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, as well as representatives of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. Zdenka Burzan, Director of the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes Montenegro, was a guest at the workshop. The workshop was attended by Cristina Mihes, senior specialist in social dialogue, and Jovan Protić, national coordinator of the ILO, as representatives of the International Labour Organisation.The Working Group for the preparation of the Draft Law on Amendments of the Law on Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes presented to the ILO experts with the solutions created through several months of work. The solutions were prepared in draft version of the Law, in order to improve the institution of peaceful settlement of labour disputes and overcome the problems indicated by a ten-year practice in the work of mediators and arbiters.Experts of the International Labour Organization indicated the comparative experience to the participants of the tripartite workshop and gave comments on the proposed solutions in the Draft Law, with which they will gain improved text coordinated with the comparative practice.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes participated in a Roundtable on the topic “Social Dialogue between Trade Unions and Employers in Serbia and the Role of the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes” organized by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Zrenjanin, which was held on 5 December 2016, at the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Zrenjanin.The Roundtable was organized in order to promote social dialogue in the Republic of Serbia, with special emphasis on the establishment and development of social dialogue in the business organizations.The Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Mile Radivojević, informed the attendees about the benefits of the peaceful settlement of labour disputes and the role of the Agency in the early collective disputes.The Round table in Zrenjanin is the second in a series of such activities that are organized in several cities in order to promote social dialogue and the peaceful settlement of labour disputes.

The third interactive seminar of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes for mediators and arbiters in 2016, planned within the framework of the Special Programme for the Training of Mediators and Arbiters, was held on 5 December 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 on the most common dilemmas in the judicial practice of labour disputes discussed by a judge of the Supreme Court of Cassation Predrag Trifunović. A lecture on the theme Cancellation of the employment contract was held by Ljubinka Kovačević, Ph.D., from the Faculty of Law in Belgrade and further cooperation between two institutions has been announced within the signed agreement on cooperation. Tanja Kljun from the Ministry of Interior held a lecture on the topic “Negotiation Skills in Practice”.[gallery columns="2" ids="1115,1113"]At the end of the seminar, representatives of the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes presented together with representatives of the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the peaceful settlement of labor disputes with a discussion on proposed solutions. Present mediator and arbitres were asigned with the manual of International Labour Organisation – Profesional mediation in collective labour disputes.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes and the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, signed an agreement on cooperation on Wednesday, 30th November 2016.The aim of this agreement is to establish cooperation between the signatories that will contribute to the development, improvement and strengthening of educational, scientific and research capacities of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes and the Faculty of Law.Also, the agreement is the basis which will enable additional training of mediators and arbiters, as well as the promotion of the institution of the peaceful settlement of labour disputes among students and the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. It will also enable further strengthening of the human resources potential, as well as visibility and promotion of the benefits of the institute.The agreement was signed by Dr Sima Avramović, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade and Mile Radivojević, Director of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes.

The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes participated in a round table on topic “Social dialogue between trade unions and employers in Serbia and the role of the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes” organized by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Subotica, which was held on 14th November 2016 in the premises of the Regional chamber.The round table was organized in order to promote social dialogue in the Republic of Serbia, with special emphasis on the establishment and development of social dialogue in business organisations.The Director of the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes, Mile Radivojević, pointed out the benefits of peaceful settlement of labour disputes, especially in the collective labour dispute when a common solution is found. This is a solution which means that both trade unions and employers have found common ground and reached the solution that is mutually acceptable – said Radivojević.The round table in Subotica is the first in a series of such activities to be organized in several cities in the forthcoming period in order to promote social dialogue and peaceful settlement of labour disputes.

On 9th November in Valjevo in the premises of AMSS workshop “Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes in Practice” was held. In the workshop the representatives of the Agency, the conciliators and arbitrators, together with representatives of employers and trade unions pointed out the advantages of the Institute of peaceful settlement of labour disputes compared to proceedings before court.The Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour disputes has cooperated for the third time this year with the NGO Initiative for Development and Cooperation, as a part of the project “Social partners together for the improvement of labour legislation in Serbia”, implemented with the financial support of Solidar Suisse / Swiss Labour Assistance (SLA) – the Office in Serbia, in partnership with ‘Nezavisnost’ trade union, the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia, the Union of Employers of Serbia familiarized representatives of trade unions and employers in Valjevo with the institute of peaceful settlement of labour disputes. Aleksandra Vitorović and Sladjana Kiković spoke in front of the ‘Nezavisnost’ trade union about the amicable settlement of labour disputes, Ivica Lazović, the Deputy Director of the Agency, spoke about the Agency’s practice, and specific procedures were simulated by the conciliators and arbiters Dr Živko Kulić, Vera Kondić and Danijela Koštan Kovačević.

On Monday, 31st October, the second workshop ’Peaceful Settlement for Labour Disputes’ was held at the Regional Centre for Professional Development in Smederevo. At the workshop, representatives of the Agency, conciliators and arbiters, together with representatives of employers and trade unions pointed to the advantages of the institute of peaceful settlement of labour disputes compared to the proceedings before the court.The workshop is part of the project “Social partners together for the improvement of labour legislation in Serbia”, realized by the Association of Citizens Initiative for Development and Cooperation, with the financial support of Solidar Suisse / Swiss Labour Assistance (SLA) – Office in Serbia, in partnership with “Nezavisnost” Trade Union Confederation, Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia, the Union of Employers of Serbia and with the support of the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes. Peaceful settlement of labour disputes was further discussed by Nađa Gojović, Ivica Lazović, Deputy Director of the Agency, and specific procedures were simulated by the conciliators and arbiters Vera Kondić and Danijela Kovačević Koštan.

On Friday, 28th October, at 11 am, in Hall 1A of the Belgrade Fair, at the stand of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, the Republic Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes held a panel discussion called Mobbing- violence in labour relations. The speakers were Olga Kićanović-independent adviser of the Agency and mediators and arbiters Prof. Dr Živko Kulić and Prof. Dr. Zoran Radulovic with the possibility of asking questions directly to conciliators, arbiters and representatives of the Agency.Prof. Dr. Zoran Radulović clarified in his exposition the phenomenon of violence in labour relations and the importance of peaceful settlement of labour disputes, while Prof. Dr. Živko Kulić spoke about the practical aspects of resolving such labour disputes, as well as the examples of good practice.Raising awareness about the existence and culpability of mobbing, prevention and protection from abuse at work and the importance of affirmation of peaceful settlement of labour disputes as an adequate alternative to court proceedings were once again emphasized on this panel discussion.