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Slovakia Gets 2nd Warning from EC Over Sex Equality at Work Directive
Thursday 03 June 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Brussels, June 3 (TASR) - The European Commission sent a reasoned opinion to Slovakia on Thursday concerning Slovakia's failure to apply a directive on sex equality at the workplace.
If Slovakia doesn't meet its commitments, it will face proceedings at the European Court of Justice.
This represents the second phase of the process, as the European Commission back in June 2007 pointed to shortcomings in Slovakia's approach to introducing the relevant piece of legislation. In its letter, the Commission emphasised that no discrimination based on sex can be tolerated at the workplace apart from when posts with specific applicant requirements are concerned.
"Slovakia has failed to implement the exemptions to which the directive refers. Likewise, Slovakia's legislation offers no guarantees to mothers who return to work after maternity leave that their rights will be respected," states the letter.
The European Commission pointed out that the deadline for putting the directive into law was set at October 5, 2005. Slovakia now has two months to meet the EU's demands or respond. If it doesn't, a complaint will be filed with the European Court of Justice.
According to Labour, Social Affairs and Family Ministry spokesman Michal Stuska, the ministry will respond to the letter as soon as it is delivered at least via unofficial channels. He stated, however, that this is normal state of affairs when it comes to communications between individual EU-member states and the European Commission concerning the introduction of commission directives into the domestic law of EU states.
Stuska added that Slovakia's Anti-Discrimination Act and the Labour Code already specify that employers are obliged to give employees their original jobs back after maternity or parental leave expires.
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