No. 07.00-264/2016-02  Date: August 4, 2016

OPINION

The opinion has been issued in the proceeding acting upon complaint filed by M.D. from N.S. against Property Administration of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina for discrimination on grounds of gender at work. The complaint states that as of November 18, 2015, M.D. has been assigned in the Property Administration of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina as a senior associate for general legal and public procurement affairs – head of group, while on April 11, 2016, during temporary inability to work due to maintenance of pregnancy, she was assigned to another, staff member workplace with a reduced coefficient for payroll accounting and payment of salary. The statement of Property Administration of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina specifies that a new Policy on internal organization and job classification dated March 2016, established a new organization of jobs and workplaces, due to which all employees have been assigned in accordance with their professional qualifications and vocation. In the course of the procedure it was found out that in April 2016, when decision on appointment of the complainant was passed by the employer, other employees were also reassigned, the workplace at which M.D. had been working before decision of appointment had been classified within a new job group to which another employee was assigned, while the complainant, during her temporary inability to work due to maintenance of pregnancy, was assigned to the workplace of a senior associate, whereby her coefficient for payroll accounting was reduced. Upon completion of proceedings and established state of facts, the Commissioner for Protection of Equality has issued her opinion that by appointing M.D. to the position of a senior associate for general legal and public procurement affairs, with a reduced coefficient for payroll accounting, during her temporary inability to work due to maintenance of pregnancy, Property Administration of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina has committed an indirect act of discrimination on grounds of gender. Therefore, Property Administration of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina has been recommended to take, without delay, all necessary measures in order to eliminate the consequences of discriminatory treatment of M.D. as well as to act in accordance with anti-discrimination rules in future when performing duties from its purview.

Commissioner for the Protection of Equality

Brankica Janković

Complaint filed by M.D. against Property Administration for discrimination on grounds of gender in area of work and employment