Working group discusses fixed term employment

BELGRADE – Serbia’s working group in charge of amendments to the Labor Law met Thursday to discuss provisions relating to duration of fixed term employment.

The working group will discuss other provisions the following week, Director of the Serbian Association of Employers Dragoljub Rajic told Tanjug.

The position taken by the Ministry of Labor is fixed term employment period should not exceed two years, trade unions insist that the provision stipulating one year stays, while employers think it should be three years, Rajic said.

Employers are willing to agree to the period being two years, but given certain terms and conditions are allowed, he added.

The Labor Ministry believes that changes also need to be made to provisions relating to the manner of payment of severance pays, minimum wages, terms and conditions for dismissals from employment, and the definition of collective bargaining and negotiation.

Trade union officials have previously said they expect representatives of the Ministry of Labor to state what the objective and reasons for changing the law are so that it can be determined which provisions need to be changed.

The last meeting of the working group was devoted to defining the necessary procedures and powers needed before starting to make changes to the law.

The working group should decide whether to go for amendments to the Labor Law or passage of an entirely new law. The goal is to draw up a draft legislation by May 1 and adopt it by June 30.

The unions pulled out of the previous working group that was drafting amendments to the Labor Law as they were not satisfied with a major part of the offered material, their main objections being to the provisions...