EUROFEDOP members from the Western Balkans region and representatives of other workers’ organisations gathered at the meeting centre of USSCG, the Union of Free Trade Unions of Montenegro Discussions during this special project focused on EU accession and dispute resolution. The programme was very relevant to representatives in the room; lively discussions took place and practical actionable points were taken back to representatives’ home countries. The seminar was organized in cooperation with with EZA within the framework of EZA’s special project for workers’ organizations in candidate countries and was funded by the European Union.
Srdja Keković, Secretary General of USSCG warmly welcomed all participants to Montenegro. He showcased and explained how he founded a Union in Montenegro from scratch, and what that entailed.
EUROFEDOP Vice-President Viorel Rotila from Romania subsequently underlined the importance of strong trade unions as this means a strong Social Dialogue which in turn means a strong democracy.
Representing the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Ada Huibregtse outlined the activities of the ILO Employment and Social Affairs Platform (ESAP 3). Ms Huibregtse also discussed different attitudes of trade unions across the region when it comes to capacity building, skills, and funding.
Frederic De Wispelaere, research expert at the Research institute for work and society, University of Leuven (HIVA-KU Leuven, Belgium) spoke about labour mobility upon EU accession. He activated participants with questions on 1) how to reduce outflow of skilled workers after EU accession and 2) what type of labour mobility the union representatives think their workers will use?
This discussion was followed by a presentation from Jovana Spaic Erdeljan, National Project Coordinator for the ILO based in Belgrade, Serbia. She presented the state of social dialogue in Serbia and activities and projects currently running to further strengthen this. The insights from an ILO perspective also sparked interesting discussions on practicalities on the ground, for instance around proving representativeness and practising the law on the right to strike.
All the presentations provided a lot of food for thought and discussion. The “Ask the expert” poster session that followed took participants in a slightly different direction. Literally, participants had to get on their feet and move around. Three speakers each with their poster were placed in different corners of the meeting room and participants huddled around them for an interactive dialogue.
Dajana Cvjetkovic, program manager of SMART Balkans kicked off and inspired discussions on trade unions and civil society. She advocated seeking constructive partnerships to change and improve conditions regarding important societal themes. You can be the change.
Lazar Jovevski, Professor, Faculty of Law, Labour Law and Social law department University "Ss. Cyril and Methodius" in Skopje (North Macedonia), focused on dispute resolution, stating that labour disputes are a normal part of the work. In a lively presentation he encouraged participants to act, and to change the game by law if you can’t change the people. Later on in the programme he zoomed in even further on the options of amicable settlement of labour disputes.
Finally, guest speaker Jovana Spaic Erdeljan addressed representatives during the Poster session, focusing on the reform of Social and Economic Councils throughout the EU enlargement process. She encouraged participants to monitor, track and implement where applicable solutions from the EU countries.
Towards the end of the seminar participants had an opportunity to listen to concrete experiences and stories from colleagues in preparing EU accession. This took place in a special panel chaired by Tamara Goliš, President, Trade Union of Public Servants and State Employees (SDSNCG, Montenegro). Participants heard insightful examples from Srdja Keković (Montenegro), Andreja Janković (Serbia), Boro Veligdenov (North Macedonia) and Alžbeta Broszová (Slovakia).
Closing with a short creative assignment leading to inspiring and colourful ‘statues’ on the theme of EU accession, moderator Femke Beumer thanked the organisation, the interpreters and all representatives for an active and fruitful seminar in Podgorica.
EUROFEDOP Secretary General Bert Van Caelenberg addressed members and closed the seminar.