The Development of New Industrial Relations in Slovenia - UMAR

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etween blue-collar and white-collar workers, production and services, is untenable. Only a small number of employees in enterprises involved in production actually make products, suggesting that this category of employees is decreasing. The nominal rise in the services sector was also contributed to by the reorganisation of companies and subcontracting. This is one of the reasons for the increasing number of small- and medium-sized companies. In the case of the services sector, a distinction between those employed in retail trade, tourism, etc, employing mainly low-qualified female workforce on a non-permanent basis (part-time or fixed-term employment), and those employed in highly specialised services requiring professional qualifications needs to be made. The latter, as well as employees with new and specific technical skills, are characterised by individual rather than collective interests, as they are more interested in the conditions of their promotion and professional careers. Trade unions have difficulty in recruiting new members from both groups. Employers are also in favour of such individualisation (Hyman, 1994). Conflicts between unions in the public sector of social services and unions in the private sector are arising due to budget restrictions. The nature of jobs is also changing on the shop floor. Tayloristic ways of production are being abolished and new forms of work organisation such as autonomous or semi-autonomous work groups are introduced. Companies are thereby transforming into small units; a matrix structure of managing a company is replacing a hierarchical one, introducing higher personal responsibility for workers. This results in organisational structures with fewer levels, doing away with different levels of middle management. Major changes are therefore happening in job evaluation, pay structure and collective bargaining (flexibility). With Slovenia's accession to the EU and the higher presence of foreign employers, it can be expected that such methods will also be introduced in Slovenia. If Slovenian trade unions do not prepare for these changes in time, they can expect an erosion of their powers. 4. THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMPLOYER ORGANISATIONS It is necessary to change the legal framework of the system of IR in Slovenia. But the social partners needto change also. So far, trade unions have been more successful in adjusting to the changes than employer organisations. This is quite understandable in view of the prolonged process of privatisation. Nevertheless, in the process of collective bargaining, participation resolution of disputes and tripartite consultation trade unions need representative and independent (legitimate) partners on the employer side. The term “entrepreneur” is not new in Slovenia, but it is not synonymous with the term “employer. Real employers have only began to emerge with the emergence of the real owners - with the transformation of the old and to a lesser extent the emergence of the new enterprises. The same is valid for employer organisations. Slovenia is one of the countries in transition that have, despite the socio - economic changes, retained a system where all enterprises and craftsmen are organized in chambers (para - statal organisation) with obligatory membership. After the change of socio - economic system the mandates of these chambers were extended and now they function as employer organisations too and represent the interests of their members in this sense. At the beginning of the transition the Chamber of Economy (GZS) was the only organisation representing employers and enterprises. Later on, the Chamber of Crafts (OZS) branched off, representing now 16
independent craftsmen and small - size enterprises. These two organisations got two basic functions, namely employer (negotiating) and promotional (trade and business) function. This is contrary to the Intarnational Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, which proclaim freedom of association of employers and workers. On the advice of the ILO and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) the GZS came to the conclusion that a separate organisation for employers was the best solution. On 22 nd February 1994 the Slovenian Employers′ Association (ZDS - Združenje Delodajalcev Slovenije) was founded. Around the beginning of 1997 it had 1618 members (enterprises), which employed around 60% of market sector′s labour force and represented 49% of the overall company equity. This example was followed by the OZS, which established the Employer′s Association OGISTTA on 23 rd June 1994. Around the beginning of 1997 it had 2730 members. Both ZDS and OGISTTA (as well as the Chamber of Economy and the Chamber of Crafts) have their headquarters in Ljubljana. In the meantime, a small new employer organisation was founded also, later registered as the Employer′s Organisation of Slovenia (DOS). It has its headquarters in Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia. Pursuant to the Law on Employment Relations from 1991, the collective agreements, relating to the territory of Slovenia and for selected economoc activities, are to be concluded between trade unions and GZS or any other general association or organisation of employers. So the general and sectoral collective agreements are from the employer side concluded by the Slovenian Employers′ Association and the Employers′ Association OGISTTA, and GZS and OZS . In this way the tripartite (government, employers, trade unions) Agreement on Wages Policy for the Period 1999 - 2001 was signed by the named four organisations too. According to the proposal for a new Law on Collective Agreements from 1995, which is in parliamentary procedure, this will in the future be possible only for individual employers or their representative associations. Until the adoption of the new law determining the representativity of employers (in the similar way as the representativity of trade unions is regulated), GZS and OZS remain legitimate employers′ representatives. In adition, the proposal for the new law concerning the Chamber of Economy, which will determine its new competency (field of activity), is in parliamentary procedure. MAIN FORMS, INSTITUTIONS, PROCEDURES AND ISSUES 5. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING Collective agreements were used as an instrument for regulation of employment relationships on the territory of Slovenia already at the end of the last century (Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, 1993). First regulations regulating their conclusion were adopted in the period immediately after the World War I. After World War II, employment relationships were regulated through a state monopoly and collective bargaining was limited to the private sector (small craftsmen), which was economically less important. Collective agreements were introduced by legislation in 1971 and the first collective agreement was concluded in 1972. Collective agreements were in former Yugoslavia in 1989 introduced into the legal system again by the adoption of the federal Law on Basic Rights from Employment Relationship. 17
Page 1 and 2: IMAD Institute of Macroeconomic Ana
Page 3 and 4: SUMMARY In Slovenia a stable, co-op
Page 5 and 6: This paper should also made a contr
Page 7 and 8: egan. So especially Slovenia opened
Page 9 and 10: EU standards it will not be possibl
Page 11 and 12: The Confederation of Trade Unions
Page 13 and 14: agreements. The coverage rate showe
Page 15: constructive proactive development
Page 19 and 20: As in other countries it is expecte
Page 21 and 22: the employee representatives (Nethe
Page 23 and 24: In Slovenia workers have the consti
Page 25 and 26: the term “conciliation” is used
Page 27 and 28: Central bodies for tripartite co-op
Page 29 and 30: Central bodies for tripartite co-op
Page 31 and 32: Practically none of the EU members
Page 33 and 34: structural reforms and changes to a
Page 35 and 36: national policy. Slovenia will, the
Page 37 and 38: Ministry of Labour and Social Insur

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