The conference concluded a series of events within the framework of joint efforts taken by the ILO and the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation this year to fight discrimination in the workplace.

The conference brought together over 120 trade union activists of the Confederation, governmental officials, employers and experts of the ILO and other international organizations.

The chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation, Sattar Mehbolliyev, noted that the fight for equality in the workplace is one of the trade unions’ priorities fixed in the Confederation’s charter. He called on social partners to pool efforts and step up cooperation.

A member of the Confederation’s committee on women’s affairs, Kvandab Khabibova, presented a survey and a case study on gender discrimination in the workplace.

ILO Moscow Senior Specialist in Workers’ Activities Sergeyus Glovackas briefed on the recommendations of the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) aimed at strengthening the fight against discrimination in the workplace.

ILO Moscow Senior International Labour Standards Specialist Alain Pelce reported on application of the ILO’s non-discrimination instruments.

The conference drafted several recommendations for further activities of trade unions and social partners on the elimination of any forms of discrimination in the workplace.

Azerbaijan’s trade unions announced a campaign on the elimination of discrimination in the workplace last May. Since then one national and four regional roundtable meetings took place in Kuba, Lenkoran and Ganja and several awareness raising materials were published.

Trade union events promoting non-discrimination in the workplace gathered a total of 400 workers, local administration officials and employers.

Center for Gender equality and Women Problems was established in Confederation in order to provide the effectiveness of these measures.