Dispute the policy documents approved to protect the people’s labor rights, employment discrimination continues to exist and experts recommend the authorities to adjust the legislation to the agreed policies. The Labor Code does not yet contain the notion of harassment at work and the suggestion is that the definition should take into account the European standards. The recommendations were formulated as a result of an analysis of the compatibility of Moldova’s legislation with the Community acquis on equality and nondiscrimination, which was carried out by the Legal Resources Center of Moldova, IPN reports.

In the event held to present the results of the study, the Center’s legal consultant Sorina Macrinici said the current Labor Code does not stipulate and does not ban harassment at work and this thing should be corrected.

Another recommendation is to cut some of the guarantees provided in the Labor Code, which experts consider to be overprotective. One of these is the possibility of keeping the job while caring for the child up to the age of three as this is a too heavy burden for employers. Owing to overprotective guarantees, the employers could be more unwilling to employ women of reproductive age because the women are mainly those who decide whether to benefit from parental leave or not.

Sorina Macrinici also said the employment announcements contain excessive requirements and are discriminatory because particular restrictions are imposed based on different criteria, such as age and gender.  The experts consider a guidebook for employers should be produced, which would contain recommendations how to correctly edit an employment announcement so as to exclude discrimination.

Wicher Slagter, section head at the EU Delegation to Moldova, said that positive results in ensuring non-discrimination are achieved in Moldova, while the authorities appropriately protected the rights of the sexual minorities during the march that these staged recently. He encouraged the exclusion of any form of discrimination, saying the EU provided €8 million in financial support for improving the observance of human rights and excluding discrimination.