An initiative to equalize the children of employees in social protection with the children of employees in state bodies and other public services in terms of providing New Year’s gifts

Acting on the complaint of the New Union of Social Protection of Serbia, in which they stated that the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs sent a letter and questionnaire to all social protection institutions requesting that they provide data on the number of children under the age of 12 to receive an appropriate New Year’s gift. They pointed out in this complaint that children of employees in social protection are discriminated against employees’ children in state bodies and other public services who receive gifts up to the age of 15. In this regard, referring to Article 33, paragraph 1, point 7) of the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination, the Commissioner sent the Ministry an initiative to equalize the children of employees in social protection with the children of employees in state bodies and other public services in terms of providing New Year’s gifts, that is, that the children of employees in social protection institutions, up to the age of 15, as in other state bodies and public services, be provided with a New Year’s gift, until the provisions of the Special Collective Agreement for Social Protection in the Republic of Serbia are amended. The Ministry’s response stated that on December 13, 2023, the Ministry urgently sent a new letter to all social welfare institutions to provide data on the number of children under 15. It was clarified that the Ministry reacted immediately by correcting the query from December 12, 2023, so that there would be no discrimination against children of employees in social welfare institutions compared to children of employees in other state bodies and institutions in the public sector, as well as that the Ministry earmarked funds for providing New Year’s gifts for children up to 15 years of age.

COMMISSIONER FOR THE PROTECTION OF EQUALITY
Brankica Janković