More than a half of goals that are defined by the three-year Decent Work Program for the Republic of Serbia have already been achieved or are in the process of being achieved, said the ILO Coordinator for Serbia, Jovan Protić.
‘Drafting the new Labour Law will definitely be put on hold because the Ministry of Labour won’t start working on it till the end of the next year’, he explained.
National Decent Work Programs are main instruments that ILO uses to provide support for its members. It represents a mid-term framework for planning that directs the work of ILO in line with the priorities agreed between the government, trade unions and employers.
Decent Work Program for Serbia is prepared in consultations with the Government of Serbia, as well as social partners, in order to create new jobs, extend social protection, guarantee labour rights and promote social dialogue as a key component of economic and social policy. At the same time Program supports national development programs within the Employment and Social Reform Programme of Serbia and National Gender Equality Strategy. It takes further steps aimed at achieving SDGs and defines the ILO contribution, especially concerning inclusive labour market and decent employment.
Even though the Program sets long-term goals, they are divided into single steps and social partners may ask for their suggestions to be included into the Program. For instance, the analysis of harmonization of Serbian labour legislation with the ILO Convention 190 on the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work was conducted regardless of not being envisaged by the Program.
‘This is where the initiative of the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia for the ratification of the ILO Convention 190 was welcomed’, Protić pointed out.
In 2022, which is the final year of the Program, social partners will start the talks so that the new Program would be signed at the beginning of 2023.