Joint ENoP-SOLIDAR event: ''Making the system work: Ensuring decent work and quality jobs in the Western Balkans''

The joint ENoP- SOLIDAR event ‘Making the system work: Ensuring decent work and quality jobs in the Western Balkans’ took place on 22.02.2012 in the EP, Brussels and was hosted by MEP Marije Cornelissen. Katya Koleva provided the introductory notes of the meeting on behalf of ENoP. She is the chair of the ISI (Institute for Social Integration), Bulgaria and member of the ENoP Steering Committee.  

The roundtable gathered representatives form the five Western Balkan countries (Serbia, FYROM, Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina), coming form trade unions, think-tanks and NGOs together with representatives from DG Enlargement/EC and European employer platforms.

The meeting started with brief reports, focusing on the current economic situation in the Western Balkan countries and its reflection on labour market and employment. The extracts from the reports showed that the average unemployment rate for the region is between 20-30% and has both age and gender dimensions. Due to the high unemployment rate, the rapporteurs identified the appearance of a new phenomenon called ‘voluntarily slavery’ which forces qualified employees to accept poor job opportunities, while employers speculate with remunerations.  

Among the vital problems identified as preconditions for unemployment and scarcity of decent job opportunities, were the financial turmoil, lack of harmonisation with EU standards, lack of labour inspection. All these shortcomings were determined as consequences by the poor implementation of the rule of law and existing legislation.

Within the fruitful discussions the participants managed to identify several measures needed to overcome some outstanding problems in striving for decent work and quality jobs. They stressed the necessity to have more capacity building for providing a sound administrative potential; encourage social dialogue, amend labour legislation within the trade unions, have a common EU approach. Last, but not least the participants outlined the crucial role and voice of civil society by quoting the liberal Roger Baldwin: ''Silence never won rights. They are not handed down from above; they are forced by the pressures from below.''