At its fourth session, held on 1 November, the Committee on Labour, Ex-servicemen’s and Social Issues discussed the Bill on the Social and Economic Council and the Industrial Dispute Arbitration Bill, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

The Bills were presented by the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Policy, Slobodan Lalovic. Mr Lalovic explained that the Bill on the Social and Economic Council provides for the institutionalisation of social dialogue through the formation of the Council, at the republic level, and, at the initiative of social partners, similar bodies at the local level. The Industrial Dispute Arbitration Bill foresees moving individual labour disputes from the jurisdiction of regular courts, as well as creating a list of independent experts to arbitrate in collective industrial disputes. All three parties (employees, employers and the government) have a say in the election of the arbiters.

The Committee endorsed the Bills in principle.

The session discussed fifteen amendments submitted to the Bill on the Social and Economic Council and sixty amendments submitted to the Industrial Dispute Arbitration Bill. The amendments were not accepted.