Integrating young women, as well as young men, into the labour market is a significant challenge in the Republic of Moldova. Although young women constitute an important part of the labour force, young women often face obstacles that prevent their equal access to the labour market. This topic was addressed at the Forum of women trade unionists “Integrating young women into the labour market. Joint Efforts”, organized by the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova (CNSM) on 11 September.

During the Forum, about 100 participants, in several discussion panels, addressed topics such as barriers faced by young female employees in our country in the process of integration into the labour market, ways to get a fair and decent job, opportunities for creating and developing their own businesses, visions of civil society and development partners regarding the employment of young women in the labour market, solutions to increase the employment rate among young people. The Forum’s discussions were moderated and guided by Lilia Franț, vice-president of the CNSM, and Angela Otean, chairwoman of the CNSM Women’s Commission.

The Forum brought together representatives of the National-Rural Trade Union Centres, the Parliament and the Government of the Republic of Moldova, the Republic of Moldova-European Union Civil Society Platform, the International Labor Organization, UN Women Moldova, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation in Moldova, the Platform for Gender Equality, the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Moldova, the National Association of ICT Companies, the Organization for Entrepreneurship Development, the Association of Nursing in the Republic of Moldova, the State Enterprise “Poșta Moldovei”, and other institutions.

Opening the activity, Igor Zubcu, President of the CNSM, emphasized that this large-scale forum is an important platform at the national level to address the problems faced by young women, exchange views and experiences, discuss the views of the business environment and authorities on the integration of young people into the labour market. The President of the CNSM said that it is important to ensure decent and fair working conditions, to create conditions for a harmonious combination of work and family life.

The trade union leader added that over 60 percent of trade union members in the Republic of Moldova are women, and the CNSM promotes and supports young women by including additional provisions in the Collective Labour Agreement in the process of consultations and negotiations with social partners. “We want to overcome patterns and mentalities, to have social peace and effective social dialog at all levels, anchored in European values, to develop and strengthen new partnerships in order to change for the better the lives of young people in our country,” said Igor Zubcu, President of the CNSM.

“We proposed to discuss at this meeting the main challenges facing young women in the Republic of Moldova, as well as the joint efforts made by the Government and Trade Unions, the private sector, civil society organizations, international organizations to improve their integration into the labour market”, stressed Angela Otean, chair of the Women’s Commission of the CNSM.

The General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Esther Lynch, also came with an online message that women’s leadership in trade unions is crucial to move towards a sustainable and fair future, a future that is fair for all workers, and that the integration of young women in the labour market is of major importance for the European trade union movement.

Laura Olteanu, President of the Women’s Commission, National Trade Union Confederation “Cartel ALFA” in Romania, and Maria Manea, Alternate Vice-President of the Women’s Organization, National Trade Union Bloc, presented Romania’s experience in integrating young women into the labour market.

In order to increase the rights and guarantees of young girls and women as well as young boys and men on the labour market, including increasing the employment rate of this category of the population, increasing social inclusion, as well as motivating trade union membership by providing them with a platform for participation in decision-making processes, the Forum participants drafted and adopted a Resolution containing a number of demands to be submitted to the social partners for urgent action.

Thus, the Forum participants called for the implementation of the EU Directive 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union in order to cover up to 80% of employees through collective bargaining; the drafting and adoption of a document setting out the steps for increasing the minimum wage in order to ensure the implementation of the EU Directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union; the implementation of awareness-raising measures to reduce the gender pay gap, including the development of a reporting mechanism for employers to ensure equal opportunities for women and men.

Forum participants also call for the improvement of working conditions by increasing the responsibility of employers in carrying out risk assessments in the workplace, including by making accreditation of external occupational safety and health services compulsory; extending and increasing the one-off allowances and other facilities granted to young specialists assigned for employment in all budgetary spheres, including the private sector; establishing a uniform mechanism for assigning young specialists for employment immediately after completing their studies.

The resolution also includes demands related to the promotion of mentoring for young specialists, stimulating the creation of continuous vocational training systems for employees on long-term leave, indexation of childcare allowance up to the age of 3, modification of the legal framework in order to grant the right to the employee (new employee) to temporary incapacity allowance, creation of incentive mechanisms for employers who create alternative childcare services, non-interference of employers and authorities in the activity of trade unions, compliance with the provisions of the Trade Unions Law.

Final text of the Resolution of the Trade Unionist Women’s Forum “Integration of young women in the labour market. Joint efforts” can be accessed here.

We would like to point out that the Trade Union Women’s Forum “Integration of Young Women in the Labour Market. Joint efforts” was organized with the support of the Danish Trade Union Development Agency and the New Democracy Fund.

Photos from the event can be accessed on the Facebook page of the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova.