Program on surplus employees enters into force

BELGRADE - This year's Serbian government program to deal with the issue of surplus employees in the enterprises that should be privatized in processes led by the Privatization Agency, including 188 of them that will file for bankruptcy, has entered into force, the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia has said.

The entities to be privatized are due to analyze the financial status and the perspectives of further development based on the consolidation program and form a team that will determined the surplus of employees.

The team is also tasked with determining the legal and economic grounds in establishing the surplus of employees, inform the National Employment Service about launching the procedure, determine the number of employees needed and the total surplus of employees as a basis for establishing a new organization and systematization of jobs.

Moreover, the team should conduct a poll among the employees about their preferences with regards to the three options for severance pays, adopt a draft program and submit it to major unions and the National Employment Service.

The service of workers labeled as surplus will end in 2015 once they opt for one of the three options.

The first option is to receive EUR 200 per year of service expressed in dinars except that the total amount of the severance pay must not exceed EUR 8,000.

The second option is that the severance pay will be calculated in the manner determined by the Labor Law except that the total amount of the severance pay must not exceed EUR 8,000.

The third option is that the severance pay will amount to six average salaries according to the latest data of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia for employees with over 15 years of...