BRATISLAVA, October 7, (WEBNOVINY) — A group of twenty-two human-rights, feminist, and some other non-governmental organizations demand that the Slovak Republic finally after many years starts fulfilling its commitments in the field of women’s human rights. In their collective remark to the draft amendment to the Labor Code, they demand the state to ensure consistent legal protection of pregnant women threatened by layoffs during a trial period and to abolish discrimination of unmarried women when they take a leave for a period necessary to transport them to medical facility and back upon childbirth. The NGOs also demand harmonizing the wording of the Labor Code with anti-discrimination law and with anti-discrimination directives of the European Union. The collective remark to the draft amendment was supported by 626 people during three days while also the Slovak National Center for Human Rights supported the text.
Currently, the Labor Code, according to the NGOs enables to lay off during the trial period any employee for any reason or even without stating the reason. “Many employers who learn about pregnancy of their employee misuse this formulation to lay off a pregnant employee. It is very a common practice, although the applicable clause in the Labor Code does not enable layoffs on grounds of discrimination,” NGOs complain. As they add, in case of pregnant women, is such discrimination reason is their pregnancy and their gender.
The NGOs also raised objections to other clauses related to obstacles to work. The Current Labor code enables providing an employee time off with wage compensation for a necessary period of time for transportation of his/her wife to the medical facility and back upon childbirth. “We consider this clause discriminating, because the law does not allow to draw such time off in case of a partner who is about to give birth to her child and simultaneously is not a wife. Besides discrimination of women who life outside of marriage, this piece of legislation in final result is in contradiction with the International Convention on the Rights of the Child,” Adriana Mesochoritisova from civil association Moznost volby (Pro choice) stated. The non-governmental organizations ask for removal of the current wording and propose non-discriminating wording of the Labor Code.
SITA
