Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

1. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report concerning the application of the Convention in the Republic of Serbia for the period ending July 2005. It observes that the Convention seems to be applied by the Law on Employment and Insurance in the Case of Unemployment, 2003. It also notes of the establishment of 25 branch offices of the National Employment Service (NES) in different districts and in the city of Belgrade, as well as 18 services as smaller organizational units and around 165 subsidiaries at the local level. The Committee requests the Government to indicate how the NES operates in practice to achieve the best possible organization of the market and whether a general review of the organization of the network of employment service offices has been undertaken or is envisaged (Articles 1, paragraph 2, and 3, of the Convention). It further asks the Government to continue providing statistical information concerning the number of public employment offices established, the number of applications for employment received and the number of persons placed in employment by such offices (Part IV of the report form).

2. Cooperation with the social partners. The Committee notes the establishment of the Employment Council in which the authorities, the NES, specialists dedicated to employment issues and experts are participating in the preparation and the implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee would appreciate further details on how the Council works in practice, its achievements and how the views of the social partners are taken into consideration by the NES. It would also be grateful if the Government could indicate the procedure adopted for the appointment of workers’ and employers’ representatives to the Employment Council (Articles 4 and 5). Please indicate whether the Social and Economic Council contributes to the application of the Convention.

3. The Committee would be grateful if the Government could describe in details the status and conditions of service of the NES staff, in particular whether such staff is composed of public officials whose status and conditions of service are such that they are independent of changes of government and improper external influences and whether they are assured of stability of employment, subject to the needs of the service. Please also give general information concerning the methods of their recruitment and selection, as well as training for the performance of their duties (Article 9).