European Labourlaw Conference
Simultaneous interpretation: Spanish, English, German (French, provided there is sufficient interest)
Duration: 09:00 – 18:30
08:30 – 09:00 Registration
09:00 – 11:00
08:30 – 09:00 Registration
09:00 – 11:00
Opening Remarks: Strategic Enforcement of Anti-Discrimination Law in Europe
Welcome greatings
– Belen Lopez Sanchez, Secretaria General CCOO Catalunya (tbc)
– Ramon Gonzalez Monroy, Secretario General CCOO.Servicios (tbc)
Block 1: Overview – historical overview, legislation
– Chair: Pascal Annerfelt, Hugo Sinzheimer Institut, Frankfurt am Main
- Historical Overview of Discrimination in Employment law
– Silvia Borelli, Labour Law Associate Professor of University of Ferrara, Italy
- Current legislation on anti-discrimination and best practice examples in European and national labour law on EU level
– Tomas Bagdanskis, Attorney-at-Law, Lithuania
– Sharon Dillon-Lyons, Barrister at Law, Ireland
This session will provide an overview of the evolution of anti-discrimination protections in employment and the current legal framework at European and national levels. Participants will examine key EU directives, relevant case law, and examples of national legislation and policies addressing workplace discrimination. The session will briefly explore the historical development of anti-discrimination law and the emergence of international labour and human rights standards, while focusing on contemporary legal protections, enforcement mechanisms, equal pay, reasonable accommodation, and best practices for promoting equality in the workplace. Participants will also discuss current challenges and opportunities for strengthening anti-discrimination protections.
11:00 – 11:30 Break
11:30 – 13:00
Chair: Tamar Gabisonia, lawyer, Georgia
Block 2: Litigation and jurisprudence on different fields of discrimination – first part
– Petr Polák, Senior Legal Adviser, Office of the Public Defender of Rights, Czech Republic
- Gender Discrimination & Equal Pay
– Dr. Rüdiger Helm, lawyer, Munich, Germany
- Ethnic Origin & Migration
– Sophie Latraverse, advocate. France
– Eddie Omar Rosenberg Khawaja, Attorney at Law, Denmark
This session will examine key European and national jurisprudence on discrimination based on gender, ethnic origin and migration status, as well as disability and chronic illness. Participants will explore legal standards governing equal treatment in employment, including equal pay, access to employment, reasonable accommodation, career progression, and protection from discriminatory practices. Through the analysis of landmark cases and practical examples, the session will discuss evidentiary challenges, burden of proof, available remedies, and the role of strategic litigation in advancing workplace equality and combating systemic discrimination.
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30-16:00
Block 3: Litigation and jurisprudence on different fields of discrimination – second part
– Chair: Jeffrey Vogt, President of the International Lawyers Assisting Workers Network
- Age Discrimination
– Macarena Martínez Miranda, Judge, National Court of Catalonia, Spain
- Religious Discrimination in the Workplace
– Imane El Morabet, Legal Advisor, UNIA, Belgium (tbc)
- Algorithmic & Structural Discrimination, AI
– Ignasi Beltran de Heredia Ruiz, Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Sciencea, Catalonia/Spain
Building on the previous session, this block will focus on both emerging and frequently litigated forms of workplace discrimination. Participants will examine legal developments concerning age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and trade union membership, as well as the growing challenges posed by artificial intelligence, algorithmic management, and structural discrimination. The session will explore how anti-discrimination law is adapting to evolving labour markets, new technologies, and changing workplace realities, while identifying effective legal and policy responses to ensure equal treatment and the protection of fundamental rights at work.
16:00 – 16:30 Break
16:30- 18:00
Block 4 Collective agreements and collective action to Tackle Discrimination in Employment
Chair: Isabel Eder, head of the department for law and diversity, DGB
– Prof. Johanna Wenkebach, legal head of IGM, Frankfurt, Germany
Collective agreement and collective labour action are powerful tools for addressing workplace discrimination and promoting equality, dignity, and decent work. While individual complaints remain important, many forms of discrimination are systemic and require collective solutions. Through collective bargaining, trade union representation, social dialogue, workplace campaigns, strategic litigation, and collective complaints, workers and their representatives can play a key role in tackling structural inequalities.
This session will examine how collective labour action, including collective bargaining and agreements can be used to prevent, identify, and remedy discrimination in employment. Drawing on international and national labour standards, comparative practices, and practical examples, participants will explore effective legal and policy tools, exchange experiences, and identify ways to strengthen collective labour rights as a means of advancing workplace equality and inclusion.
17:30 – 18:00 Conference Wrap-Up
18:00 End of the conference
Co-organisers and supporters
- CCOO Servicios
- CCOO Catalunya
- Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB
- ELDH European Association of lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights
- ELW-Network of Lawyers for workers
- European Trade Union Confederation, ETUC
- ILAW International Lawyers Assisting Workers Network
- HSI Hugo-Sinzheimer-Institute (Hans-Böckler-Stiftung)
- VDJ Vereinigung Demokratischer Jurist:innen
Registration
registration fees
• 120 EURO For lawyers and others who need a participation certificate after the conference:
• 80 EURO For all others (lawyers, judges, …):
• 50 EURO Low Income reduced fee ( for students, trainee lawyers, lawyers/trade union legal secretaries in their first two years of practice, and those who have left the profession (retirees and pensioners with no additional earned income)
Timely registration and payment of the registration fee are required.
Please register now vie the following link.
The conference room accommodates a maximum of 80 participants. Early booking is recommended. Reservations must be made exclusively via the registration form, which can be filled out using the provided link.