Meeting of SEE TU Forum and RCC representatives, 24 November, 2008

Following the conclusions of the SEE Trade Union Forum meeting held in Zagreb on 29-30 of September 2008, a meeting between the SEE Trade Union Forum and the Regional Cooperation Council took place on 24 of November 2008, in the Workers House, in Zagreb.

Ms. Ana Knezevic, SEETU Forum chair, Ms. Ana Milicevic Pezelj, Head of UATUC department for organization, education and publishing, Ms. Dijana Sobota, coordinator of the Center for Regional Coordination and EU Integration, based in Zagreb, and Mr. Jasmin Redzepovic, SEE TU Forum coordinator met with Mr. Nand Shani, expert on economic and social development of the Regional Cooperation Council – RCC, based in Sarajevo.
The RCC and SEE TU Forum representatives shared information on the current state of affairs regarding the transfer of the initiatives on employment (Bucharest employment process), social dialogue, occupational healthy and safety, Public health that were established under the Initiative for Social Cohesion of the former Working table II of the Stability pact for SEE.
The SEE TU Forum informed Mr. Shani about its priorities, emphasizing the importance of the further development of social dialogue in the region, differentiating civil dialogue from social dialogue, the importance of labour markets, improving employment policies and measures trough social dialogue, highlighting the importance of protecting rights of migrant workers within the region and wider. It was stressed that the occupational healthy and safety initiative should be enhanced in order to reinforce its work, since this is a filed where Trade Unions are interested to work, together with other partners, in the process of EU integration of the Western Balkan countries. Energy and infrastructure (transport), as well as, building human capital remain to be among the key priorities on which the SEE TU Forum is willing to cooperate with other interested organizations and institutions.
The SEE TU Forum representatives informed Mr. Shani that the SEE TU Forum member organizations have send letters to the Governments in their respective countries informing them about the SEE TU Forum priorities, asking to be involved in the different regional initiatives active in the frame of the RCC.
The next meting of the SEE TU Forum will be held in March 2009, in Belgrade and the RCC representatives will be invited to the meeting.

Jasmin Redžepović
Coordinator
SEE Trade Union Forum