ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT IN THE WORLD OF WORK – CURRENT SITUATION AND FUTURE CHALLENGES IN THE CONTEXT OF MACEDONIAN LABOUR LAW

Abstract

At a global level, the recognition and regulation of violence and harassment at work generally
dates back to the 1980s, first with respect to sexual harassment and then gradually concerning
harassment in general (based on the existence of a protected ground of discrimination or
independent from it). It was not until 2019 that the International Labour Conference adopted the
two international labour standards (Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206) aimed at
eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work. These international standards, together
with the EU legislation in the field of harassment and sexual harassment, become ‘benchmarks’
for the harmonization and development of the national legal framework for protection against
violence and harassment in the workplace in North Macedonia. The national legislation of North
Macedonia addresses the issues of harassment and sexual harassment, as well as psychological
harassment (commonly named mobbing) as issues covered by several different regulations in the
fields of labour, equality and non-discrimination, occupational safety and health and even criminal
law. Hence, one of the main goals of this article is to contribute to an improved definition and
understanding of the treated concepts in the context of the Macedonian national legislation. The
authors of this article also analyze the no less important elements in the system of protection
against harassment, such as: determining the definition and scope of application of harassment at
work; prevention measures and policies; procedure for protection from harassment; remedies and
sanctions for perpetrators.