The CRPM team worked on developing an approach to conducting research activities, developing four research tools.  The development of research tools took into account: the existing legal framework, the setting of industrial relations, the way of conducting social dialogue, as well as the fact that the Directive has been transposed into appropriate law, and the European Works Council are not applied in the country by the stakeholders.

In order to examine the different views and attitudes, an appropriate approach was applied to the relevant participants that make up the industrial relations in the country. Namely, 19 in-depth interviews were conducted with the representatives of trade unions, employer’s organizations, representatives of economic chamber, as well as representatives of management bodies and human resources departments of multinational companies in the country. Additionally, interviews were conducted with two representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (MLSP), as a competent institution for creating legislation in the field of labour law. A significant part of the interviews was conducted with private companies whose management bodies or headquarters are in European Union (EU) countries, and have their subsidiaries and production facilities in Republic of North Macedonia. In-depth interviews within this phase were conducted with:

1)         10 representatives from private companies;

2)         4 representatives from trade unions;

3)         3 representatives from the employers’ organizations and economic chambers;

4)         2 representatives from public institutions.