Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

Paid Educational Leave Convention, 1974 (No. 140) - Montenegro (Ratification: 2006)

Article 2 of the Convention. Formulation and application of a policy designed to promote the granting of paid education leave. The Committee notes the Government’s report which includes information on the number of civil servants who have obtained training under the Vocational Education and Professional Development Programme. The Committee also notes that the report includes detailed information provided by the Association of Employers of Montenegro concerning the number of training activities held in 2013 and participants thereof, and by the Confederation of Trade Unions of Montenegro indicating that professional education of its existing and potential members is a top priority. In this regard, the Confederation of Trade Unions of Montenegro adds that it has initiated the procedure of obtaining a certificate for the certified education provider to be delivered by the Ministry of Education and Sports. Moreover, in its observations transmitted by the Government, the Union of Free Trade Unions of Montenegro (UFTUM) indicates that employers who provide special, vocational training to employees, particularly in cases of adoption and application of new methods in work organization and technology, allow employees to take paid leave for this purpose. The UFTUM is of the view, however, that employers are under-investing in this type of education and training of employees, and allocate insufficient resources for this purpose, except in the entities where collective agreements define it as a binding obligation for the employer. The UFTUM further indicates that legislation does not recognize the notion of paid leave for the purposes of trade union, general, social, and civic education. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this respect. It also requests the Government to provide information on the policy and measures, taken in consultation with the social partners, to promote the granting of paid educational leave for the purpose of occupational training at any level (Article 2(a)); general, social and civic education (Article 2(b)); and trade union education (Article 2(c)). Please also provide extracts of the relevant collective agreements together with extracts of reports, studies or inquiries relating to the practical application of the Convention, and available statistics on the number of workers granted paid educational leave (Part V of the report form).

[The Government is asked to reply in detail to the present comments in 2016.]