The objective of the project was improved social dialogue and cooperation on the topic of prevention and elimination of workplace violence and harassment, through the development of new and improvement of existing structures and practices for social dialogue, training of social partners and strengthening the bipartite and tripartite dialogue and consultations in the area of occupational health and safety and gender equality in order to eliminate violence and harassment and to improve working conditions in Croatia.
The project responded to a challenge in Croatia, where workplace violence and harassment have not been systematically addressed. Despite the adoption of the Gender Equality Act in 2003 and the existence of an Ombudsperson for Gender Equality, research on the topic was lacking, and it was not integrated into occupational health and safety or social dialogue frameworks. A survey conducted in April 2020 among female trade union representatives highlighted the importance of addressing this issue.
The project aimed to raise the capacity of social partners to participate in social dialogue, establish new structures, improve existing ones, and support legislative improvements. It included activities such as research on workplace violence and harassment, public events to present findings, development of collective bargaining agreement provisions, and protocols for prevention and sanctioning of workplace violence. Additionally, the project conducted training sessions, meetings with stakeholders, and a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of eliminating workplace violence and harassment.