Effect given to the recommendations of the committee and the Governing Body - Report No 329, November 2002

Case No 2146 (Serbia) - Complaint date: 05-JUL-01 - Closed

Effect given to the recommendations of the Committee and the Governing Body

1. 152. The Committee last examined this case at its meeting in March 2002 when it requested the Government to take the necessary steps to repeal all provisions of the Yugoslav Law on the Chamber of Commerce which would give rise to compulsory membership or financing. It further requested the Government to ensure that employers may freely choose the organization they wish to represent their interests in the collective bargaining process and that the results of any such negotiations would not be subjected to the approval of the legislatively constituted Chamber of Commerce [see 327th Report, paras. 884-898].
2. 153. In a communication dated 6 June 2002, the complainant in this case, the Yugoslav Union of Employers, indicated that it had not yet received any communication from the Government on the steps it intended to take in accordance with the Committee’s recommendation.
3. 154. In a communication dated 2 September 2002, the Government indicates that intensive activities have been undertaken in recent months aimed at the adoption of the constitutional charter, which should define the attributions of the federal State. Once the constitutional charter is adopted, activities aimed at implementing federal regulations will be pursued.
4. 155. The Committee takes due note of the information provided by the Government. Recalling the importance it attaches to the right of employers to establish and join the organization of their own choosing and to the voluntary nature of collective bargaining, the Committee expresses the firm hope that the Government will take the necessary steps in the very near future to repeal the provisions of the Yugoslav Law on the Chamber of Commerce which give rise to compulsory membership or financing and to ensure that employers may freely choose the organization they wish to represent their interests in the collective bargaining process without any interference by the legislatively constituted Chamber of Commerce. It requests the Government to keep it informed of the progress made in this regard.