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SYMPOSIUM IN VRNJACKA BANJA ORGANIZED BY FES FOUNDATION

THE GOVERNMENT AND TRADE UNIONS KEEP GETTING THEIR LINES CROSSED




Belgrade, November 27 2007
A Symposium (Seminar) took place in Vrnjacka Banja from November 6 – 8 2007, organized by FES Foundation, on the subject: Application of Labor Law, Strike Law and problems with passing a new Law, as well as reforms in the area of pays in public services. The participants in the Seminar, representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Serbian Employers Union and two representative trade unions, UBU “Nezavisnost” and “CATUS” set forth their observations and problems in the application of the Labor Law.

INDIVIDUAL AMENDMENTS TO THE LABOR LAW BY THE “CMWUS” – IRRESPONSIBLE

The observations of Labor Inspectors, concerning previous application of the Labor Law and their suggestions, were interesting. Special attention has been devoted to the “CMWUS” initiative for the amendment to Article 191. of the Labor Law. The representatives of UBU “Nezavisnost” supported a consistent application of the Labor Law. Initiating the procedure of amendments to the mentioned Law without signed General Collective Agreement and Branch Collective Agreements represents an irresponsible act, especially because this happens to be the initiative of the “CMWUS”.

A NEW STRIKE LAW TO BE PASSED BY THE END OF 2008.

Discussions about the application of the Strike Law and enacting a new one were much more interesting. Namely, the 1990 Strike Law from the time of the SFRY is still in force, with some amendments. The Ministry, employers and trade unions have negotiated the passing of a new Strike Law for 3 years already, but three key items were problematic. The discussion at this Symposium will certainly have an impact on the passing of a new Strike Law by the end of 2008.

The representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Snezana Bogdanovic and Rajka Danilovic, presented a Draft of Bill on Salaries in public services to the participants. It was clear to all participants in the discussion that the reform of salaries in public services was conditioned by the MMF and the World Bank, but the participants in the Symposium had different opinions of the solution to this problem. The Government’s opinion was that pay groups and scales should be adjusted, but trade unions and employers consider the solution to the problem from different standpoint.

GOVERNMENT’S “SIS” AGENCIES

Each new Government and coalition, being formed, employed their party supporters in public services, with the remaining ones, which brought about the forming of an enormous administrative apparatus in public services that could not be supported by the budget. A good example is Government Agencies. No one knows how many government agencies have been formed so far for “ALL AND EVERYTHING” and where there was a need and where there was not and how many planned to be formed. It is good that there was a discussion about pays in public services, so that more discussions about this topic should be expected in the next period as in trade union organizations, so also in Employers Associations and the Socio-Economic Council. Closing the Symposium, the FES Foundation representative Milan Jevtic stressed the readiness of this Foundation to organize a new Symposium soon, because it turned out that the discussions at such gatherings conduced to finding acceptable solutions in a very short time.

 
     
 
 
 
 
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