The European Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (Eurociett) and trade union UNI Europa, last week organised a roundtable event to promote social dialogue in the temporary agency work sector in Serbia.

Financially supported by the European Commission, the meeting brought together Serbian social partners, representatives of the government, and representatives of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to discuss the key issues, challenges, and opportunities facing temporary agency work in the country.

The roundtable offered stakeholders in the temporary agency work sector a platform to exchange views on the ongoing labour market reforms and on the adoption of regulation in line with the ILO Convention on Private Employment Agencies (1997) (No. 181) and the EU Directive on temporary agency work (2008/104/EC).

Eurociett and UNI Europa have encouraged the Serbian social partners and the government to work together and keep the dialogue open beyond this event, and to build on the momentum and on the good ideas discussed.

Eurociett and UNI Europa feel that keeping the social dialogue open is a way to achieve the appropriate level of regulation and to enhance the employment conditions of agency workers. The sectoral social partners represent a source of knowledge and expertise that the government can take advantage of as it adopts the new law on agency work.

To this end, Eurociett and UNI Europa have urged the Serbian government to keep the sectoral social partners involved in this process to ensure that the new law will be balanced and in accordance with Convention No. 181 and the EU Directive on temporary agency work.