All countries of the region face the same problems when it comes to social dialogue, and in order to improve the situation it is necessary to ensure greater involvement of the Social Council into decision-making that has direct impact on both workers and employers.
This was stated at the conference Transparent Social Dialogue as a Prerequisite to Healthy and Sustainable Economic and Social Development in the Region, hosted by MEF today.
MEF President, Ms. Svetlana Vuksanovic, said that in recent years social dialogue had been defying the problems present in all economies in the region.
“Despite major temptations, social dialogue has proven on a number of occasions to be the only true tool for solving problems, speeding up the economic growth and encouraging social development. We have to admit that the significance and quality of it has been strengthened over the last couple of years and that it began taking the place it deserves”, said Vuksanovic.
“However, we still face the same problems which we were facing at the beginning that does not allow for a social dialogue to be what it should really be. We are still not fully involved in decision-making process that directly affects both workers and employers. The importance of social dialogue has not still been recognized by all decision makers”, she added.
Elmedin Rovcanin from the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare reminded that social dialogue in Montenegro is based on the Constitution, the Law on Social Council, the Labor Law and the Law on Trade Unions’ Representativeness.
He emphasized social dialogue in Montenegro takes place as tripartite but also as bipartite social dialogue between social partners in the form of negotiations and conclusion of branch collective agreements and collective agreements at company level.
Secretary Generals of both trade unions (the Union of Free Trade Unions and the Confederation of Trade Unions of Montenegro) basically reiterated what was said by MEF President: positive shifts did happen, but ten years after its constitution, the Social Council still lacks the necessary power in relation to taking positions on those documents and situations particularly important for workers and employers.
“It hurts us that only in Montenegro there is a Social Council and not a Socio-Economic Council like in other European countries”, said Srdja Kekovic.
The Conference gathered social partners from the region (Serbia, Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republic of Srpska) as well as representatives of International Organization of Employers (IOE) who sent their video messages. After two panel sessions, the Conference ended with the conclusion that a Joint Declaration on improvement of social dialogue in the Region should be adopted and sent to regional governments as well as other relevant stakeholders at European level.
