The Women’s Commission of the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova (CNSM) held on Tuesday, November 14, a meeting to sum up the activity for the years 2021-2023, discussing social and economic problems faced by women employees, union members, in various branches of the national economy.

The meeting was attended by presidents of the national trade union centres, the CNSM leadership being represented by Lilia Franț, CNSM vice-president.

In her message to the women trade unionists, Lilia Franț pointed out that in recent years, as a result of the work of the Women’s Commission of CNSM, important proposals and initiatives have been promoted to help improve the social and economic situation of women in Moldova.

The Vice-President of CNSM thanked the members of the Women’s Commission of CNSM for their activities and urged women trade unionists to remain active.

Moreover, Lilia Franț stressed the importance of initiating the ratification process of the International Labour Organisation Convention No. 190, on which the CNSM leadership and the Women’s Commission of CNSM have insisted on several occasions, as this document will soon be ratified by the Moldovan Parliament.

It should be noted that Convention No. 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work provides a clear and comprehensive framework for intervention to protect victims through actions such as paid leave, flexible working arrangements and temporary protection against dismissal.

In her speech, Liuba Rotaru, the chairwoman of the Women’s Commission of CNSM, referred to the main activities carried out during the reporting period, stating that the social and economic protection of women trade unionists and their health were promoted at all levels, in meetings with the country’s leadership, forums and round tables, national conferences, including information and promotion campaigns on women’s rights organized in different localities of the Republic of Moldova.

The Chairwoman of the Women’s Commission of CNSM mentioned several achievements related to the increase of the single childbirth allowance, the improvement of the conditions for granting paternity leave, the removal of some inequalities in terms of social security contributions for different categories of employees, the improvement of some legislative provisions on the distribution of salary slips.

Liuba Rotaru stressed the importance of the issue regarding the health of the population. According to the trade unionist, the indicators in this chapter are more than alarming, and measures are needed to increase the resources allocated to health maintenance and disease prevention. Another issue on which women trade unionists are pleading is to stop raising the retirement age for women. At the same time, the authorities should pay more attention to the problem of the quality of food products sold in Moldova, which has a negative impact on the general health of the population.

The representatives of the Women’s Commission of CNSM also referred to social and economic protection of women, access to quality health services, promotion of equal opportunities, combating gender-based violence, cooperation between social partners in promoting the rights and defending the interests of women in the Republic of Moldova, specific problems faced by women trade unionists in various sectors.

The members of the Women’s Commission of CNSM also received diplomas of gratitude from the CNSM leadership as a sign of gratitude and dedication to promoting trade unionist values and gender equality, for their involvement and active participation in the organization of the Commission’s work.

We would like to mention that the Women’s Commission is a structure of the CNSM, which aims to protect the professional, economic and social rights of women trade union members by: monitoring compliance with the legislation in force regarding the protection of women’s social and labor rights; actively participating in the implementation of trade union policies; collaborating with state structures and civil society, by joining efforts, in order to strengthen the environment favorable to democratic changes, and building a society with equal rights and opportunities for women and men.

More pictures from this activity can be found on the CNSM Facebook page.