Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Montenegro (Ratification: 2006)

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the replies provided in the Government’s report received in August 2010 to the matters raised in its 2009 direct request. The Government reports that the National Action Plan for Employment (NAPE) 2008–09, which implements the National Strategy for Employment and Human Resources Development 2007–11 brought, inter alia, the following results: the employment rate reached 41 per cent in the second quarter of 2009; 21 per cent of unemployed persons participated in educational and training programmes as well as in public works; 30 per cent of the long-term unemployed participated in training measures; and the number of persons with high school and vocational education increased by 2.4 per cent. According to the Labour Force Survey, in the third quarter of 2010, the employment rate was 40.8 per cent (211,900 persons employed) whereas the unemployment rate reached 19.2 per cent (50,500 persons unemployed). The Committee notes that the NAPE 2010–11 has been launched, which sets the labour market measures to be carried out as part of the National Strategy. The Committee recalls that Article 2 of the Convention provides that each Member shall decide on and keep under review, within the framework of a coordinated economic and social policy, the measures to be adopted for attaining the objectives of the employment policy. In this regard, in its 2010 General Survey concerning employment instruments, the Committee underlined that procedures to review and assess the results of employment policy measures are of crucial importance, both for governments and at the international level. Such review procedures serve as helpful means for governments and social partners to assess the extent to which the proposed measures have been implemented and the desired results have been achieved (see paragraph 66 of the 2010 General Survey). The Committee invites the Government to include in its next report an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the policies and measures to promote full and productive employment implemented within the framework of the NAPE 2010–11, as well as their interaction with other economic and social objectives.

Vulnerable categories of workers. Persons belonging to ethnic groups present in the country. The Government indicates that, at the end of 2009, 10,843 persons registered at the National Employment Agency of Montenegro were considered as “hard to place”, which represents 35.9 per cent of the total number of persons unemployed. Participation of women in this specific category amounts to 39.8 per cent. According to the Labour Force Survey, in the third quarter of 2010, only 43.5 per cent of women were economically active. The Government indicates that various measures were launched to increase the employment of persons belonging to Roma, Ashkaelia and Egyptian communities present in the country. At the end of 2009, 1,358 members of the Roma, Ashkaelia and Egyptian communities, of which 43.3 per cent were women, were registered at the Employment Agency, representing 4.5 per cent of the total number of registered persons. Results of the measures targeting persons belonging to these specific communities include: the creation of a database on the Roma’s economically active population (information on education, interest to register at the Employment Agency and potential participation in active labour market measures); the employment of almost 50 persons belonging to the Roma, Ashkaelia and Egyptian communities in various sectors; and the training of 75 members of these groups. The Committee invites the Government to continue to supply information in its next report on the impact of measures designed to encourage and support employment levels of Roma, Ashkaelia and Egyptians. It also invites the Government to provide information on measures taken to increase the participation rate of women in the open labour market.

Youth employment. According to the Labour Force Survey, the youth unemployment rate stood at 24.7 per cent in the third quarter of 2010. In its report under the Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88), the Government indicates that the Employment Agency participates in career guidance programmes for young people and jobseekers. The Employment Agency may provide professional and financial assistance to institutions and other organizations in the implementation of concrete career guidance programmes for students and registered jobseekers by funding these programmes up to 50 per cent of the total costs. The Employment Agency may also provide funds for scholarships. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the effect of the measures implemented through the Employment Agency, including career guidance programmes, to create employment opportunities for young persons.

Article 3. Participation of social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Government indicates that social dialogue at the tripartite level is ensured by the Social Council, which is composed of 11 Government representatives and the same number of representatives of workers’ and employers’ organizations. The employment unit within the Social Council is in charge, inter alia, of monitoring, considering and giving its opinion on: (a) the employment policy stability; (b) education and vocational training; (c) drafts and proposals of laws and regulations related to the economic and social position of workers and employers; and (d) the application of labour and social welfare laws. The Union of Free Trade Unions (UFTUM) of Montenegro comments that it was not invited to participate in the negotiations and signing of the Memorandum on Social Partnership in Global Economic Crisis even though it was the first organization to point out the importance to sign this type of social agreement. The Committee requests the Government to provide more detailed information on the involvement of the social partners in mitigating the negative impact of the global economic crisis on employment. It further requests the Government to provide information on how the Social Council ensures that the views of the social partners concerned are sufficiently taken into account in the development, implementation and review of employment policies and programmes.