EMPLOYERS will no longer be able to deny employment to a woman job applicant because she is pregnant.
This change to the law is among several in an anti-discrimination bill approved by the Cabinet last Thursday.
The bill also prohibits employers from refusing to hire any job applicant, male or female, because he or she is looking after one or more children.
"The law defines the use of terms such as harassment, sexual harassment, stalking and abetment to discrimination and racial segregation," Cabinet adviser Konstantin Palikarski said.
He said the law defines the grounds on which direct or indirect discrimination is prohibited such as gender, race, skin colour, ethnic background, national origin, political and other beliefs, religion or faith, age, sexual orientation, marital status or descent.
If approved by Parliament, the bill will prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, skin colour, religion or faith, and sexual orientation in cases of participation in commercial partnerships, or in respect to army conscripts.
An independent commission of 15 members will be set up under the law with the purpose to investigate discriminatory acts and to impose due sanctions. Parliament will appoint nine of the commission members and the President will assign the rest. All of the members will have a four-year mandate and according to Palikarski, the commission will have administration of about 70 people.
Physical persons who fail to meet the requirements of the law will be fined 5 000 to 25 000 leva in cases in which their offence does not constitute a crime. Legal entities will be fined from 25 000 to 150 000 leva, while fines for chiefs of legal entities will range between 2 500 and 10 000 leva. According to the bill employers will be obliged to brief their employees on the requirements of the law.
The Minister of Labour will list the professions where gender can be used as a decisive recruitment factor; and the list will be co-ordinated with the ministries of defence and of internal affairs.
Employers also will not be allowed to collect information on their employees' health.
Palikarski explained that with this document Bulgaria applies seven European directives on gender equality and prevention of discrimination on different grounds. "Ireland and The Netherlands are the only countries in Europe that have such laws; the other EU members and candidate countries are preparing such acts," he said.
This change to the law is among several in an anti-discrimination bill approved by the Cabinet last Thursday.
The bill also prohibits employers from refusing to hire any job applicant, male or female, because he or she is looking after one or more children.
"The law defines the use of terms such as harassment, sexual harassment, stalking and abetment to discrimination and racial segregation," Cabinet adviser Konstantin Palikarski said.
He said the law defines the grounds on which direct or indirect discrimination is prohibited such as gender, race, skin colour, ethnic background, national origin, political and other beliefs, religion or faith, age, sexual orientation, marital status or descent.
If approved by Parliament, the bill will prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, skin colour, religion or faith, and sexual orientation in cases of participation in commercial partnerships, or in respect to army conscripts.
An independent commission of 15 members will be set up under the law with the purpose to investigate discriminatory acts and to impose due sanctions. Parliament will appoint nine of the commission members and the President will assign the rest. All of the members will have a four-year mandate and according to Palikarski, the commission will have administration of about 70 people.
Physical persons who fail to meet the requirements of the law will be fined 5 000 to 25 000 leva in cases in which their offence does not constitute a crime. Legal entities will be fined from 25 000 to 150 000 leva, while fines for chiefs of legal entities will range between 2 500 and 10 000 leva. According to the bill employers will be obliged to brief their employees on the requirements of the law.
The Minister of Labour will list the professions where gender can be used as a decisive recruitment factor; and the list will be co-ordinated with the ministries of defence and of internal affairs.
Employers also will not be allowed to collect information on their employees' health.
Palikarski explained that with this document Bulgaria applies seven European directives on gender equality and prevention of discrimination on different grounds. "Ireland and The Netherlands are the only countries in Europe that have such laws; the other EU members and candidate countries are preparing such acts," he said.
