The 5 initiatives that the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has already implemented in the direction of strengthening the rights of women and the promotion of equality of the two friends and the 4 that it has set as a priority for this year were outlined by the Minister of Labor Kostis Hatzidakis today by the step of Parliament.
“We believe in politics with results”, Mr. Hatzidakis stressed during his speech at the meeting of the Special Standing Committee on Equality, Youth and Human Rights and the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, on the occasion of the celebration of International Women’s Day. “And this philosophy runs through all the policies of the Ministry of Labor for women, which unfold in three axes: First, the economic emancipation of women and the” reconciliation “of work with personal life. Second, the integration of the gender dimension in “All public policies. And thirdly, gender and domestic violence.”
“We want to be as practical and useful as possible”, he continued, briefly describing the most important actions that have been launched or completed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in the last twelve months:
1. The Labor Law enacted Convention 190 of the International Labor Organization to eliminate violence and harassment at work. “We have even gone one step further, making mandatory the development of internal policies for violence and harassment for any company with a staff of more than 20 people. In addition, to support women victims of violence, we have adapted OAED’s employment and entrepreneurship programs.” noted Mr. Hatzidakis.
2. By the same law, provisions were passed for the “reconciliation” of the professional and personal life of the employees. A 14-day paternity leave has now been introduced, with protection against the father’s dismissal for 6 months from the birth of each child. In addition, OAED subsidizes 2 of the 4 months of parental leave for both parents. This eliminates the disincentives that existed and that could additionally burden women since they indirectly prevented their recruitment or development. “In addition, with the incorporation of EU Directive 1158 on the general framework for the reconciliation of personal and professional life and with flexibility measures, we resolutely support workers who have a family”
3. The work for the Corporate Equality Label (“Share”) is progressing, ie the Label that rewards companies that implement policies of equal treatment and equal opportunities for all their employees. Already, as part of the political implementation of the program, the Label has been given to 18 companies for one year. The initiative will be continued and further strengthened.
4. The “Innovation Center for Women” was launched with the aim of strengthening women’s entrepreneurship in the fields of research and innovation and new technologies.
5. The National Action Plan for Gender Equality 2021-2025 was presented in December – and then submitted to the EU – which lists the actions of all ministries to integrate the gender dimension (gender mainstreaming) and to promote equality issues.
The next steps
Describing the next steps of the Ministry of Labor, Mr. Hatzidakis underlined that:
1. The pilot implementation of the “Neighborhood Nanny” program, which supports women’s work and working mothers and guardians, begins immediately, especially where there is no density of nurseries. “This is a measure that has been successfully implemented in many advanced European countries and will significantly help many families.”
2. The creation of babysitting facilities in large companies is planned with funding from the Recovery Fund – starting with 120 large companies -, thus facilitating new parents.
3. Develop corporate policies that promote diversity at work, creating a security framework by informing and raising awareness of employers and employees in the public and private sectors.
4. Launch the “Panic Button” initiative, an early warning system for combating domestic violence, through which women at risk can seek help.
“With these policy measures we are moving forward. We are not sticking to words, but we are moving forward with actions that really contribute to gender equality, the elimination of discrimination and the strengthening of the role of women in social and economic life,” concluded the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. .
Source: Capital
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