Republican Trade Union of Employees in Banks, Insurance Companies and Other Financial Organizations of Serbia RS BOFOS, in cooperation with the European Centre for Workers’ Questions (EZA) and funded by the European Union, organized a seminar with the theme: “The time is now: Building a future where gender doesn’t define opportunity“, which was held in Kladovo / Serbia from 19 to 21 June 2026.
The seminar was attended by 52 representatives of workers’ organisations from Serbia, the Netherlands, Albania, France, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Turkey, Denmark, Italy, Slovenia, Poland, North Macedonia and Romania.
Introductory presentations were delivered by Mara Erdelj, president of RS BOFOS (Serbia) Joseph Thouvanel, Vice-President of the European Centre for Workers' Questions (EZA) / CFTC (Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens) France, and Rolf Weber, Senior Political Advisor, World Organization of Workers (WOW).
The project aimed to exchange best practices in gender equality, acquire new knowledge and skills from experts, and apply them in participants’ working environments. During the seminar, we gained insight into the actual state of gender equality and the position of women on the labour market in the participating countries.
Experiences were exchanged on the key challenges that women have faced in different sectors, especially in the financial sector, regarding equal pay, work-life balance, equal employment opportunities, and adequate working conditions.
Experts in gender equality shared their knowledge and strategies for addressing these challenges. Experiences were also exchanged regarding the monitoring of collective agreements and their provisions related to gender equality at work.
Ms. Ike Wiersinga, a collective bargaining expert at CNV Netherlands and former member of the Board and president of the Women's Section of the World Organization of Workers (WOW), during Panel I, spoke on the topic „Roadmap for Women’s Rights”: Gender equality in the European labour market – progress and challenges.”
Ms. Dr. Emina Karo, associate professor, lawyer, and political scientist, court interpreter for the English language, and consultant for labour law from Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina, during Panel II, spoke on the topic: “Directive of the European Union on salary transparency No. 2023/970”.
Ms. Olga Vučković-Kićanović, accredited lecturer, lawyer and expert in labour law, arbitration and mediation, author of the Commentary on the Law on Prevention of Abuse at Work, held the first workshop on stereotypes, prejudices, tradition and Christian values, and their impact on gender equality and equal opportunities. She also discussed whether abandoning traditional roles may have consequences for marriage, family and work, and how these are reflected in everyday life.
Panel III was held on the topic “The role of collective agreements in the promotion of gender equality: negotiating collective agreements with gender-sensitive provisions.”
The panel featured Dr Ivica Lazović, Director of the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes (RAMRRS), Ike Wiersinga, an expert in collective bargaining from CNV Netherlands and former Board Member and Chair of the Women's Section of the World Organisation of Workers (WOW), as well as Mr. Nicolae Muresan, legal advisor and Vice-President of the National Federation of Public Servants and member of the IFES Board from Romania.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The seminar participants concluded that achieving a better work-life balance is one of the key prerequisites for promoting gender equality, safeguarding employees' health, and creating sustainable working environments. Trade unions have a particularly important role in this process. Through social dialogue, collective bargaining, education, and cooperation with employers and public institutions, they can contribute to establishing fairer working conditions and a better balance between professional and family responsibilities.
1. Combating Gender Stereotypes and Promoting a More Equal Distribution of Unpaid Domestic Work
One of the most significant challenges identified across all participating countries remains the traditional stereotype that unpaid domestic work and family care are primarily women's responsibility. Trade unions should develop educational activities aimed at challenging gender stereotypes and promoting a more equal sharing of family responsibilities. At the same time, women should be encouraged and empowered to protect their right to personal time, rest, and self-care, emphasizing that taking care of one's own well-being is not selfishness but a prerequisite for maintaining physical and mental health. Trade unions are encouraged to promote the establishment of psychological support services for employees or, where financial resources do not allow this, to organize continuous educational programmes delivered by external experts in cooperation with human resources departments. Employers should also be informed that investing in employees' well-being contributes to reduced sick leave, higher motivation, stronger employee loyalty, and the development of a socially responsible corporate image. Within the legislative framework, trade unions are encouraged to initiate discussions on recognising and valuing unpaid domestic work, taking into account the existing legal solutions in the Republic of Serbia, which may serve as an example of good practice for further policy development.
2. Strengthening Support for Employees During Pregnancy, Parenthood, and Childcare
Insufficient understanding by employers of employees' needs during pregnancy and the early stages of parenthood remains a significant obstacle to achieving a healthy work-life balance. Through social dialogue, trade unions should advocate more flexible forms of work, including the possibility of reduced working hours with proportionate salary adjustment where voluntarily accepted by employees. Wherever organisational conditions allow, employers should also be encouraged to consider providing childcare facilities within larger organisations, particularly during the period following maternity leave. Good practice examples should be promoted to demonstrate that such measures benefit both employees and employers.
3. Improving Work Organisation and Protecting Employees from Excessive Workload
Burnout, excessive overtime, and the assignment of duties beyond formally defined job descriptions have become increasingly widespread problems affecting both women and men. Trade unions should actively participate in the development and improvement of job classification systems to ensure that job descriptions are clear and precise, while any additional duties are limited to temporary and justified tasks within the employee's professional field. They should also monitor the implementation of overtime regulations, inform members about their legal rights, and advocate for the consistent application of statutory limits on overtime work. Regular anonymous employee surveys concerning job satisfaction, work organisation, interpersonal relations, workplace harassment, and other factors affecting the quality of working life are recommended in order to identify problems at an early stage and facilitate timely solutions. Furthermore, social dialogue should address the regulation of remote work, the introduction of flexible working hours, and the possibility of implementing a four-day working week in sectors where such arrangements are feasible. To strengthen employee protection, trade unions are encouraged to negotiate stronger anti-harassment and anti-discrimination provisions in collective agreements and to establish advisory services that provide professional assistance to their members.
4. Increasing Women's Representation in Leadership and Decision-Making Positions
The underrepresentation of women in leadership positions remains a common challenge despite extensive research demonstrating that gender-balanced management teams achieve better performance, greater innovation, and more effective decision-making. One of the main causes is the unequal distribution of family responsibilities, which results in women taking more frequent absences from work and facing fewer opportunities for career advancement. Trade unions should continuously address this issue through social dialogue and collective bargaining while supporting the implementation of legislative measures promoting balanced representation of women and men in decision-making bodies. At the same time, consideration should be given to introducing appropriate provisions into collective agreements, accompanied by a systematic approach that addresses the underlying causes of inequality related to balancing work and family responsibilities.
5. Strengthening Trade Union Negotiation Capacities to Promote Gender Equality and Fair Working Conditions
Gender pay differences continue to result, to a significant extent, from the traditional division of occupations into "male" and "female" jobs, with male-dominated occupations generally receiving higher social recognition, better pay, and greater career advancement opportunities. The participants emphasised that the implementation of the European Pay Transparency Directive will provide important insights into future policy developments. At the same time, it was recognised that the effectiveness of social dialogue largely depends on the negotiation skills of trade union representatives. Continuous professional development and training in collective bargaining should therefore remain a priority. Previous educational activities have demonstrated that well-prepared negotiators achieve more successful outcomes in protecting employees' interests. Finally, the participants concluded that proposals which cannot currently be implemented should not be abandoned but should remain part of the social dialogue agenda through a clear commitment to reconsider them once the necessary conditions have been met, ensuring that valuable initiatives continue to contribute to future policy development and collective bargaining.