How does a SER advisory report come about?

The Council has set up various committees to prepare its advisory reports. Like the Council itself, these committees are made up of employers’ representatives, trade unions’ representatives and independent experts. The committees draft the advisory reports for discussion in the full Council meeting. It takes about five to eight meetings for a committee to reach its draft report, every meeting lasting two to three hours – all in all, on average some six months. The full Council meets once a month, primarily to discuss and finalise the advisory report. These plenary meetings are open to the public – unlike the committee meetings, which are held behind closed doors.

Once the Council has received a request from the government, the Executive Committee decides which committee will be responsible for preparing the draft report. The Executive Committee is also made up of employers’ representatives, union representatives, and independent experts. The Executive Committee meets on the third Friday of every month.

It is the task of the Secretariat of the Council to produce a first draft based on the request for discussion in the first committee meeting and to produce successive drafts for subsequent meetings.