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Workers with Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (No. 156) - Slovakia (RATIFICATION: 2002)

Practical application. Lack of statistical information. The Committee notes the Government’s repeated indication, in its report, that it is not in a position to provide the statistical information requested by the Committee as such information is not available. The Committee draws the Government’s attention to the importance of collecting and analysing sufficiently detailed statistical information in order to determine and assess the current situation of workers with family responsibilities, design appropriate responses, and monitor and evaluate the impact of the measures which are being implemented. Noting the Government’s indication that a new central statistics system is currently in development with a new methodology for statistics gathering, the Committee trusts that the Government will strengthen its efforts to collect comprehensive and sufficiently detailed data on the issues covered by the Convention. In the meantime, it requests the Government to provide all available information, including statistical data disaggregated by sex, any studies, surveys or reports that may enable the Committee to fully assess how the provisions of the Convention are applied in practice, and its evaluation of how progress is being made to address existing inequalities between men and women workers with family responsibilities and between these workers and workers without such responsibilities.

Articles 4(a) and 7 of the Convention. Measures to promote free choice of employment and integration in the labour market. The Committee notes the Government’s repeated indication that several provisions of the Labour Code and Act No. 5/2004 Coll. on Employment Services are aimed at enabling workers with family responsibilities to exercise their right to free choice of employment and re-enter into the labour market after maternity or parental leave. It notes the Government’s indication that, as a result of the “Work and Family” project, new jobs will be created for which only persons with children below 6 years of age can be hired. The Government indicates that it will cover up to 90 per cent of real expenses to employers in such cases, and up to 50 per cent of real expenses to employers employing persons with children aged between 6 and 10 years of age. With regard to the number of men and women with family responsibilities participating in the National Programme of Education and Preparation for the Labour Market, and the number of whom subsequently entered into the labour market, the Committee notes the Government’s statement that this information is not available. The Committee however notes with concern that, in the framework of the National Employment Strategy until 2020, the Government acknowledged that the presence of children younger than 6 years of age in the family significantly reduces the employment rate of women (less than 40 per cent), while male employment increases (more than 83 per cent). It further notes that, in its concluding observations, the United Nations Committee of the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) expressed concern at the deeply rooted stereotypes regarding women and men in the family, with women continuing to bear a disproportionate share of family responsibilities, and at the lack of effective measures to promote the reconciliation of work and family life which constitutes a barrier to women’s access to employment, in particular for mothers with young children (CEDAW/C/SVK/CO/5-6, 25 November 2015, paragraphs 18 and 28). Referring to its last comments on the application of the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), where it highlighted the unbalanced share of family responsibilities and childcare between men and women, the Committee requests the Government to intensify its efforts to overcome the persistent obstacles faced by workers with family responsibilities, and more particularly by mothers with young children, in exercising their right to free choice of employment and entering or re entering into the labour market and participating in vocational training. It requests the Government to provide information on the concrete measures taken to this end, including in the framework of the “Work and Family” project, and the results achieved in this regard, while specifying the number of women and men with children below 6 years of age and with children between 6 and 10 years of age who have received employment or other benefits under these measures. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide a copy of any collective agreements containing specific provisions in favour of workers with family responsibilities.

Article 6. Educational programmes. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that, as a result of the “Work and Family” project, several media information campaigns were implemented to raise awareness about the objectives of the project. It also takes note of the annual nationwide competition “Family Friendly Employer” organized by the Government which aims to raise public awareness about good practices for better conciliating work and family life. The Government adds that at a more local level, measures are implemented by individual municipalities and self-governing regions to help employers introducing additional measures to support reconciliation of work and family life. While welcoming these initiatives, the Committee notes that, in its concluding observations, the CEDAW expressed concern at the vigorous campaigns by non-State actors, including religious and civic organizations, the media and politicians, advocating traditional family values, overemphasizing the roles of women as mothers and caretakers and criticizing gender equality as “gender ideology” (CEDAW/C/SVK/CO/5-6, paragraph 18). The Committee requests the Government to strengthen its efforts to take effective and proactive measures, such as public awareness-raising campaigns and education initiatives, to promote a more equitable sharing of family responsibilities between men and women, as well as a broader public understanding of various aspects of employment of workers with family responsibilities. It requests the Government to continue to provide information on any survey, studies or programmes undertaken to this end, as well as specific information on the impact of such initiatives and any follow-up measures implemented.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.