Tuesday, January 16, 2024, was launched the online course „Labour rights as human rights”, developed by European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) piloted, at national level by the National Institute of Justice for judges, prosecutors and lawyers providing state-guaranteed legal assistance.
In the opening of the event Ecaterina Popa, Ad interim Director of the National Institute of Justice and focal point for HELP, mentioned that: „The launch of electronic courses developed by the HELP Program of the Council of Europe has become a tradition for the National Institute of Justice which, annually, adapts quality educational tools with the assistance of national HELP certified tutors, trainers of the institution. We have already successfully taken over 21 HELP e-courses intended for NIJ beneficiaries. A valuable resource to our extensive portfolio is the „Labour rights as human rights” - an essential training program for professionals to cultivate a deep understanding of the European Social Charter and its application at national level.”
Mr. Falk Lange, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau underlined that: „The right to fair and just employment is not merely a legal entitlement; it is a key determinant of social cohesion and stability. As we navigate the complexities of the Moldovan legal framework, we must recognize that by ensuring robust social and labour rights not only the rights of individual workers are protected, but also it contributes to the broader fabric of a just and equitable society.”
The event was moderated by Veronica Dobrioglo, senior officer of the CoE project „Enhancing employment rights in the Republic of Moldova”. During the launch, experts Tatiana Puiu, vice-president of the European Committee for Social Rights, and Monika Smuzs-Kulesza, Council of Europe consultant, judge at the regional court in Lodz, Poland, referred to issues related to the European Social Charter, its monitoring bodies and the system of its treaties, as well as to the European Committee for Social Rights on labour law, while Ana-Maria Telbis, deputy head of the Justice and Human Rights Training Unit of the CoE Directorate-General for human rights and the rule of law, spoke about the developments of the HELP programme. The national tutors Olga Marandici and Viorica Verdes, highlighted the course’s objectives, national adaptation process, focusing on the way and stages of the course.
The HELP course on „Labour rights as Human rights”, active from 16 January to 16 March 2024, consist of ten modules and addresses the essential concepts related to employee rights, employment relations, working time and rest periods, fair pay, safety and health at work, and the European protection system. Both individual and collective labour rights are also examined, focusing mainly on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Committee of Social Rights. After 40 hours of training, based on the final test result, the trainees will be certified by NIJ.
The activity was organized by the HELP Program and the National Institute of Justice within the CoE project „Enhancing employment rights in the Republic of Moldova” as part of the CoE Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2021-2024, and co-financed by the Austrian Development Agency and the Council of Europe.
