The implementation of the project, receiving support under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism Programme 2009-2014, titled Reconciliation of Professional and Family Life in Collective Agreements: Role of Social Partners in the Promotion of Gender Equality (GEQUAL) has begun. The project addresses the challenge of how social partners can promote gender equality, especially by introducing this issue into collective agreements.
The Institute for Labour Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana acts as Project Promoter and together with project partners (Norwegian Institute FAFO for Labour and Social Research from Oslo, Association of Free Trade Unions of Slovenia and Association of Employers of Slovenia) pursues the following objectives:
- to raise knowledge and awareness of social partners about the importance of work-life balance measures, which support gender equality and can raise company performance as well as possibilities to regulate them in collective agreements
- to introduce new, innovative reconciliation measures in collective agreements, which address current challenges (active fatherhood, ageing of population, more women in leading positions in economy etc.)
- to promote examples of good practices in the field of introducing reconciliation of professional and family life in collective agreements
An important aspect of the project is the strengthening of bilateral relations between the Norwegian and Slovenian social partners and researchers in the field of gender equality and reconciliation of professional and family life.
Within the project, the research on the work-life balance measures in collective agreements and on the role of social partners in promoting gender equality will be carried out. The project promotes the transfer of Norwegian experiences and good practice as regards gender equality in collective agreements. Transfer of the Norwegian knowledge and experiences as regards concrete ways and methods of how to include these issues into collective bargaining can be used by social partners in Slovenia in their future collective bargaining. Educational module on the reconciliation of family and working life will be prepared and on its basis several workshops will be carried out. Within the project the model regulation of particular reconciliation measures in collective agreements will be designed.
Project dedicated website: http://www.institut-delo.com/S40300/GEQUAL?Language=en