All over the world, and unfortunately, also in Montenegro, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons face systemic stigma and discrimination in almost all aspects of their lives. For LGBTI persons access to employment, education, and health care are aggreviated. They are the target of attacks solely based on their gender identity, perceived or real and publicly expressed sexual orientation. A large number of institutions and organisations have documented discrimination, and harassment of LGBTI persons at work and in employment, and the negative impact of these phenomena on the health and well-being of employees, as well as on the reduction of commitment and job satisfaction, has been repeatedly confirmed. In the entire cycle, from employment to performance evaluation and career development, LGBTI persons face barriers to exercising dignity in the workplace, which results in social exclusion, poverty, and poor health. LGBTI persons often experience workplace discrimination that includes lower incomes and fewer work benefits in comparison with their peers. Discrimination often prevents transgender people from accessing formal employment and pushes them into areas that do not provide conditions in line with the known and recognised standards, while intersex people experience marginalisation by being left out of laws and policies that protect against discrimination in employment.

The aim of this Guide is not only to present the different forms and methods of discrimination against LGBTI persons in the labour market in Montenegro and to define the legal mechanisms for the protection of LGBTI persons at work but also to introduce employers to the best practices when employing LGBTI persons, and the methods that will ensure full recognition of the importance and use of the principles of inclusion and respect for diversity in the process of employment, work and functioning at work.

In December 2021, the Centre for Monitoring and Research (CeMi) started the implementation of the project titled Contribution to the Inclusion of LGBTI persons in the Labour Market with the Financial Support of the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights with the general goal of contributing to increasing the level of respect for the human rights of members of the LGBTI population in Montenegro. The stated goal will be achieved by reaching the specific objective of the project, which is reflected in the reduction of the degree of discrimination against LGBTI persons in employment through researching the position of the LGBTI population in the labour market, the creation of a guide for the protection against discrimination of LGBTI persons on the labour market, based on examples of good practice in the EU countries, and the organisation of educational meetings and presentations, and the implementation of a campaign to raise awareness about the position and rights of LGBTI persons with a particular emphasis on the rights of LGBTI persons on the labour market.

This Guide is one of the project’s main activities.