PARTNERSHIP FOR EQUALITY Nataša Sukič, transnational coordinator

Presentation of ŠKUC ŠKUC is one of the leading organisations for the promotion of non-profit artistic activity in Slovenia. Its beginnings go back to the radical student movement in Ljubljana in 1968, and it was formally established in January In the late seventies and in the eighties, ŠKUC was one of the most important supporters and promoters of alternative culture. Today, the main goal of ŠKUC is stimulation and development of free and critical expression within the area of art, culture and active citizenship. It works in the field of human rights, equality and policy development for social minorities. ŠKUC is engaged in the following activities: visual arts, music, film, theatre, publishing, civil rights movement (gay and lesbian section), information and counselling service.

The aim of the project The aim of DP is awareness raising, training and education of social partners (trade unions, employers) for sustainable development of anti-discrimination policy within employment and work market, with the goal to prevent discrimination and to stimulate the inclusion of social categories, de-privileged because of their sexual orientation.

The aim of the project Discrimination of sexual minorities in employment is still a taboo, one most invisible forms of discrimination and hard to prove. Discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation in employment relations and labour market has so far not been recognized within neither trade unions or employers. In order to guarantee equality in work market and employment it is necessary to involve those stakeholders, who are in everyday practice able to combat discrimination. That’s why our target groups (and partners in DP) are trade union association (ZSSS) and employers association (ZDS). Training and education of those target groups will consequently lead towards development and implementation of anti-discrimination policy, and at the same time provide the frame for inclusive and safe work environment and equal opportunities for all employees, regardless to their personal circumstances. This model is applicable for new target groups: trade-unions and employers from different branches, Besides that it is applicable also horizontally, to combat discrimination on various grounds (sex, age, disability, ethnical background, etc.).

Goals to increase the level of participation in labour market of people, discriminated on the ground of sexual orientation; to enable the conditions for stable integration of de-privileged group into the labour market; to raise awareness and educational level of employers and trade unions about the role of inclusive employment policy; to produce a code of conduct (rules, instructions) for implementation of anti-discrimination policy for employers and trade unions; to stimulate the implementation of anti-discrimination policy (on the basis of elaborated code of conduct); to tackle, document and prevent the violations of human rights on the ground of sexual orientation; to stimulate organized actions of deprivileged groups within trade unions and companies.

Goals The goals of all phases of DP are: establishment of partnership connections, definition of common vision, goals and method of work, formation of work plane, exchange of good practice with transnational partner, development and implementation of anti- discrimination policy for trade unions and employers, documentation and prevention of violations, distribution of the model and good practice, informing the public, research and elaboration of recommendations for policy development in the field of social inclusion, promotion of EQUAL program and ESF, strengthening the influence and networking between partners of DP.

Inovation The partnership is aiming to find solutions for sustainable implementation of anti-discrimination policy in employment in the way, that was not used in Slovenia before. It is innovative in various aspects: by putting sexual orientation-discrimination in the front line, because this form of discrimination was so far completely ignored in employment; by using standards of national and EU legislation in the struggle against all kinds of discrimination in employment and labour market; it will try to tackle, document and monitor discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation in employment; this area still remains due to the silence of victims and social homophobia “invisible” and hidden; by using combined education and training of both employers and trade unions at the same time; by putting the target group in the role of the partner (employers, trade unions), which enables better cooperation and higher motivation of the DP as a whole;

Inovation by addressing the target group (employers, trade unions) indirectly. In the case that we would address the victims of discrimination (same-sex oriented people) directly, this would mean that they are far less accessible, because most of the workers hide their sexual orientation at work; the program is applicable for different branches of employment; the program is applicable for different aspects of discrimination (sex, age, disability, race, ethnical background, etc.); it enables the NGOs from the field of human rights promotion to cooperate and to network with social partners, with the benefit for both; it contributes to compatibility of social and civil dialogue.

Empowerment The principle of empowerment of vulnerable groups and individuals (sexual minorities) will be realized indirectly, through awareness raising, training and education of social partners for introduction of anti-discrimination policy. With good practice of social partners the conditions for equal opportunities, better inclusion and maintaining of discriminated categories in the labour market will be created. This will bring the changes of attitudes toward minority rights within trade unions and employers, and develop positive values and everyday practice. The final aim is to create such environment of employment, where every form of discrimination is declaratively unacceptable.

Empowerment The implementation of anti-discrimination policy and practice is by definition contributing to empowerment, which is visible through greater influence and reputation of organizations, greater credibility and representativity. All actors in the DP will be fully engaged in all phases of the project and its evaluation, and at the and of the project all partners will benefit, because they can use sustainable the results and outcomes of the project, e.g. further implement anti-discrimination policy and transmit horizontally and vertically good practices into policy development and practice.

Transnational partnership Social partners in some EU countries developed and are already successfully implementing mechanisms for anti- discrimination policy, from which we are willing to learn, and at the same time we wish to exchange our knowledge and experience with the transnational partners.