Discrimination of LGBT persons in the labor market. The research has been presented at the session of the Social council of Montenegro held on the 22nd of October 2014. in Podgorica.
Istraživanje: DISKRIMINACIJA LGBT OSOBA NA TRŽIŠTU RADA
Istraživanje je predstavljeno na sjednici Socijalnog savjeta Crne Gore održanoj 22. oktobra 2014. godine u Podgorici. The Social council has been established due to establishing and the development of the social dialogue regarding the matters of significance for achieving the economic and social position of the employees and employers, and the conditions of their lives and work, development of the culture of dialogue, inciting peaceful resolving of individual and collective work disputes and other matters which are coming from the international documents, and are related to the economic and social position of the employees and employers.
With the support of „LGBTIQ Social center“ in the period between the 5th and the 20th of October 2014, a research was conducted and it involved 30 highly educated LGBT persons aged between 25 and 55. The research involved 24 men and 6 women.
We were intereted in the questions of frequency of the work place discrimination, as well as the discrimination in the process of searching for work, direct and indirect, hidden discrimination, fear of discrimination as well as how it reflects to the work and work efficiency of the individual, variations in the openness of the workers – employees on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity as well as the question of protection and trust of the LGBT community in the system institutions.
“LGBT Forum Progres”, bearing in mind the methodology of the world leading research centers for the questions of sexual orientation and gender identity, and the estimations of the LGBT movement, estimates that among the active citizens of Montenegro a minimal number of 10 000 LGBT persons, among the employees in Montenegro there is a minimal number of 7000 LGBT persons, while, according to our estimations, out of the overall number of unemployed, in the second half of this year, a minimal number of 2000 persons belongs to the LGBT community.
In Montenegro, besides the quality national anti-discrimination policies, we still do not have a strong, visible and efficient support for the protection against discrimination on the working place on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. To this, a strong contributor is the lack of interest of the trade unions for the matters of the LGBT workers, invisibility and not being able to be out at their working surroundings, fear of extended discrimination and rejection, mistrust in the institutions of the system, general bad protection of the employees and the inefficient work of the institution of the Protector of human rights and freedoms, as the central national anti discriminatory institution.
To the question whether the LGBT persons can count to the protection before the authorities when it comes to work place discrimination 80% of the respondents responded that the declarative protection does exist, but in the practice it does not change the reality of things.
All of the respondents have the opinion that filing complaints, on this ground, would bring the victim of discrimination in an even harder position, and especially when it comes to seeking and finding a new job, especially when it comes to this strong and large, heavily politically influenced, public sector. All of the respondents have the opinion that the media exposure of these cases would reflect negatively for the victim of discrimination in the working place, its position and further professional perspectives. 76% highly educated LGBT persons have no trust in the institution of the Protector of human rights and freedoms of Montenegro, and consider that addressing to the Ombudsman in terms of protection of discrimination at work is completely ineffective. All of the respondents have the opinion that the employers in Montenegro, and it is referred to all of the sectors, outside the civil society, are still not in the condition to adequately accept and treat the employees who are LGBT persons, that is whose sexual orientation is familiar. 86% has the opinion that the employers in the private sector are not educated enough and did not acquire enough information on human rights and freedoms of LGBT persons.
Over 90% of the respondents, LGBT persons with high education, have the opinion, that in given circumstances, the fear of LGBT person, of discriminations and additional circumstances is justified. Among the reasons, it is stated that the main cause is the inefficient protection of all of the workers and inefficient fight against discrimination, the lack of quality when it comes to public education policy which includes the visibility and acceptance of LGBT persons, mistrust in the institutions of the system, the lack of quality in the implementation of the national LGBT policy.
Around 67% of the respondents pointed out that the are personally familiar with the examples of discrimination and unfair treatment of the LGBT persons at work. They have pointed out that these examples are especially present in the sectors of trade, tourism, directorates, police and army.
Around 43% of the respondents claim that that have been discriminated against on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, while 73% claims that they have experienced homophobia and transphobia in the working place. They have emphasized that these situations are especially frequent before or after certain social events, public activities of the LGBT organizations, or media exposure about the LGBT topics. 90% of the respondents, 27 persons, have stated that they have faced, with variations in intensity, with a psychological pressure, by their fellow coworkers, regarding the pleasing to the norms of the traditionalistic society – asking personal questions and stating comments regarding the marital status and offspring. One of the respondents wrote : „Political and professional CVs are only serious enough if it is listed that the person is married and has children. It means that the LGBT persons are not desirable for the Montenegrin politics.
Exactly 20% of the respondents, working in the public sector, claim that their further professional development and progress in their careers has become impossible only due to the fact that their sexual orientation has become known, in a way, through their public work, to their bosses or to those who are the decision makers in the system.The respondents, highly educated LGBT persons have the opinion that among the LGBT population, the most highly discriminated persons are transgender persons, than LGBT persons belonging to a different minority, especially Roma person, than LGBT persons with disability and in the end, the elder LGBT persons. Exactly 87% of the respondents is aware or are familiar with the challenges of discrimination that the transgender persons face, as well as that they are the ones who face the biggest problems in the process of looking for work, keeping the work and regarding the promotion.
“LGBT Forum Progress” still does not have the data on whether it exists and in what extent is the discrimination of LGBT persons in terms of the earnings, that is what is the difference in salaries for the same or similar working positions. Relevant international research point out that the LGBT persons earn less, varying from 5 to 30% in relation to their heterosexual counterparts in similar or the same working positions. We have registered dozens of cases where LGBT persons, especially hired in state or local administrations, so in the public sector, face unfair treatment – while going to official trips, paying of per diems, directing to expert or other trainings, naming to different, unpaid, working bodies, overtime, mostly unpaid work and similar.
Socijalni savjet je osnovan radi uspostavljanja i razvoja socijalnog dijaloga o pitanjima od značaja za ostvarivanje ekonomskog i socijalnog položaja zaposlenih i poslodavaca i uslova njihovog života i rada, razvoja kulture dijaloga, podsticanja na mirno rješavanje individualnih i kolektivnih radnih sporova i drugih pitanja koja proizilaze iz međunarodnih dokumenata, a odnose se na ekonomski i socijalni položaj zaposlenih i poslodavaca.
“LGBT Forum Progres” od svog osnivanja prati oblast diskriminacije na tržištu rada i razvijena metodologija obuhvata registrovanje slučajeva diskriminacije, prikupljanje svih relevatnih podataka o tome, analiza i prezentacija rezultata. Trudimo se da našu metodologiju stalno unapređujemo i posebno osnažujemo pojedince da se opredjele za odgovarajuću sudsko-pravnu zaštitu.
Uz podršku “LGBTIQ Socijalnog centra” u periodu od 5. do 20. oktobra 2014. godine realizovano je istraživanje koje je obuhvatilo 30 visokoobrazovanih LGBT osoba starosti od 25 do 55 godina. Istraživanje je obuhvatilo 24 muškarca i 6 žena.
Zanimali smo se pitanjima učestalosti diskrimimacije na radnom mjestu kao i prilikom traženja zaposlenja, direktnom i indirektnom, prikrivenom, diskriminacijom, strahom od diskriminacije i kako se to reflektuje na rad i radnu efikasnost pojedinca, varijacijama u otvorenosti radnika – zaposlenih osoba po osnovu njihove seksualne orjentacije i rodnog identiteta te potanje zaštite i povjerenja LGBT osoba u sistemske institucije.
“LGBT Forum Progres”, vodeći se metodologijom vodećih svjetskih istraživačkih centara za pitanja seksualne orjentacije i rodnog identiteta i procjenama LGBT pokreta, procjenjuje da je među aktivnim stanovništvom Crne Gore minimalno oko 10.000 LGBT osoba, među zaposlenima u Crnoj Gori minimalno je oko 7.000 LGBT osoba dok su, prema našim procjenama, od ukupnog broja nezaposlenih, u drugom kvartalu ove godine, minimalno njih oko 2.000 bile osobe koje pripadaju LGBT zajednici.
U Crnoj Gori, i pored kvalitetne nacionalne antidiskrimnatorne politike, još uvjek nije razvijena snažna, vidljiva i efikasna podrška za zaštitu od diskriminacije na radnom mjestu po osnovu seksualne orjentacije i rodnog identiteta. Tome doprinosi, između ostalog, ukupna nevidljivost LGBT zajednice u društvu, nevidljivost LGBT osoba u sindikalnom pokretu i nezainteresovanost sindikata za pitanja LGBT radnika, nevidljivost i nedeklarisanost LGBT osoba u radnom okruženju, strah od produžene diskriminacije i odbacivanja, nepovjerenje u sistemske institucije, generalno loša zaštita radnika te neefikasan rad institucije Zaštitnika ljudskih prava i sloboda, kao centralne nacionalne antidiskriminatorne institucije.
Na pitanje da li LGBT osobe mogu računati na zaštitu pred nadležnim organima kada je riječ o diskriminaciji na poslu 80% anketiranih su odgovorili da deklarativna zaštita postoji ali da ona u praksi ne mijenja stvarnost. Svi anketirani su mišljenja da bi podnošenje tužbi, po tom osnovu, žrtvu diskrimimacije dovelo u još teži položaj i naročito otežalo traženje i dobijanje novog posla, posebno u ovako snažnom i velikom, i pod političkim uticajem, javnom sektoru. Svi anketirani su mišljenja da bi medijsko eksponiranje ovih slučajeva negativno se odrazilo na žrtvu diskriminacije na radnom mjestu, njen položaj i dalje profesionalne perspektive. 76% anketiranih visokoobrazovanih LGBT osoba nema povjerenja u instituciju Zaštitnika ljudskih prava i sloboda i smatraju da je obraćanje Ombudsmanu u pogledu zaštite od diskriminacije na poslu potpuno nedjelotvorno.
Svi anketirani su mišljenja da poslodavci u Crnoj Gori, misli se na sve sektore, izvan civilnog društva, nisu još uvjek u stanju da ravnopravno prihvate i tretiraju zaposlene koji su LGBT osobe, odnosno čija im je seksualna orjentacija ili rodni identitet poznata. Njih 86% je mišljenja da poslodavci u privatnom sektoru nisu dovoljno edukovani ili da nisu dovoljno stekli informacija o ljudskim pravima i slobodama LGBT osoba.
Preko 90% anketiranih LGBT osoba, sa visokom stručnom spremom, je mišljenja da je u datim okolnostima opravdan i osnovan strah LGBT zajednice od diskriminacije i daljih posledica. Među razlozima navodi se neefikasna zaštita svih radnika i nefikasna borba protiv diskrimimacije, nekvalitetna obrazovna javna politika koja uključuje vidljivost i prihvatanje LGBT osoba, nepovjerenje u institucije sistema, nekvalitetna primjena nacionalne LGBT politike.
Oko 67% anketiranih je istaklo da su im lično poznati primjeri diskriminacije i nefer tretmana LGBT osoba na poslu. Naveli su da su takvi primjeri posebno poznati u sektorima trgovine, ugostiteljstva, organima uprave, policiji i vojsci.
Oko 43% anketiranih tvrdi da su bili diskriminisani po osnovu seksualne orjentacije i rodnog identiteta dok je 73% anketiranih LGBT osoba iskusilo homofobiju i transfobiju na radnom mjestu. Naglasili su da se takve situacije naročito dešavaju uoči ili nakon nekih društvenih događaja, javnih aktivnosti LGBT organizacija ili nakon pisanja medija o LGBT tematici. 90% anketiranih, ili njih 27, saopštili su da su se suočili, s manjim ili većim intenzitetom, sa psihološkim pritiskom, od strane kolega na poslu, u pogledu udovoljavanja normama tradicionalističkog društva – postavljanje ličnih pitanja i iznošenja komentara u vezi sa bračnim statusom i potomstvom. Jedna anketirana osoba je napisala komentar “političke i profesionalne biografije jedino su dovoljno ozbiljne ukoliko je navedeno da je osoba oženjena ili udata i koliko ima djece. To znači da LGBT osobe nisu poželjne za crnogorsku politiku”.
Tačno 20% anketiranih osoba, koje rade u javnom sektoru, tvrde da im je dalji profesionalni razvoj i napredovanje u karijeri postao nemoguć samo zato što je njihova seksualna orjentacija postala poznata, na određeni način, najviše kroz javni rad, nadređenima ili onima koji odlučuju u sistemu.
Anketirane visokoobrazovane LGBT osobe mišljenja je da su među LGBT najviše diskriminisane transrodne osobe, zatim LGBT pripadnici manjina, posebno Romi, potom LGBT osobe sa invaliditetom i na kraju starije LGBT osobe.
Tačno 87% anketiranih je svjesno ili im je poznato da se posebno sa izazovima diskriminacije suočavaju transrodne osobe koje trpe najveće probleme pri traženju, zadržavaju posla ili pri unapređenju.
“LGBT Forum Progres” još uvjek nema podatke o tome postoji li i kolika je diskriminacija LGBT osoba u pogledu zarada odnosna razlika u platama za ista ili slična radna mjesta. Relevantna međunarodna istraživanja pokazuju da LGBT osobe zarađuju manje, varijajući u rasponu od 5 do 30% manje u odnosu na njihove heteroseksualne kolege na sličnim ili istim radnim pozicijama. Mi smo registrovali na desetine slučajeva da LGBT osobe, posebno zaposlene u državnoj ili lokalnoj administraciji, znači u javnom sektoru, trpe nefer tretman – prilikom odlaska na službena putovanja, isplatu dnevnica, upućivanje na stručne i druge obuke, imenovanje u razna, neplaćena, radna tijela, prekovremeni, uglavnom neplaćen rad, i slično.
