In 2023, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality conducted educational workshops on protecting against workplace discrimination, which included over 400 union representatives and employees in the automotive, electrical, and textile industries. At the workshops in Subotica, Novi Sad, Valjevo, Kragujevac, and Niš, the training participants learned more about the Commissioner’s mandate and role, the available mechanisms for protecting against discrimination, and the key differences between abuse at work and discrimination in the field of work and employment.

Bearing in mind the fact that the largest number of complaints are filed due to discrimination in labor relations, as well as in connection with work and employment procedures, the Commissioner has been involved in the implementation of the International Labor Organization’s project “Ensuring adequate complaint mechanisms for workers in the automotive, electrical and textile industry in the Republic of Serbia”. The project is part of the “Initiative for Global Solidarity” implemented by the German organization for international cooperation GIZ.

In addition to training for workers and trade union representatives, within this project the Commissioner participated in training for adjusters of the company’s operations with regulations on due diligence, as well as in drafting a Manual for internal appeal mechanisms, an integral part of which is a guide for employers and employees – How to achieve equality in the workplace, which explains in more detail the mechanisms of protection against discrimination in the field of work and employment and gives a set of recommendations to employers on how they can improve their business by implementing inclusive policies in this area.