In her letters to the Prime Ministers of the Council of Europe member states in the region of the former Yugoslavia, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, recommends specific steps to be taken to deal with the violent past and move more resolutely toward social cohesion, justice and reconciliation.

The Commissioner emphasises key steps to be taken by each of the concerned state which would enhance respect for victims’ rights and promote an inclusive and human rights based approach to dealing with the past, at the national and regional level.

She also shares the key findings and recommendations from her recent report ‘Dealing with the Past for a Better Future: Achieving justice, peace and social cohesion in the region of the former Yugoslavia’. In the context of the return to ethno-nationalist discourse, denial of wartime atrocities and the glorification of war criminals by political leaders and other influential societal actors, the Commissioner stresses that “dealing with the past is a pre-condition for building cohesive, democratic societies grounded in respect for human rights and the rule of law”.

Letters:

• Read the Commissioner’s letter to the Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Read the Commissioner’s letter to the Prime Minister of Croatia
• Read the Commissioner’s letter to the Prime Minister of Montenegro
• Read the Commissioner’s letter to the Prime Minister of North Macedonia
• Read the Commissioner’s letter to the Prime Minister of Serbia
• Read the Commissioner’s letter to the Prime Minister of Slovenia

Replies:

• Read the reply from the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia to the Council of Europe
• Read the reply from the Prime Minister of Slovenia to the Commissioner’s letter

Un ciudadano acudió al Ararteko ante la falta de falta de respuesta de URA/Agencia Vasca del Agua a una solicitud dirigida a determinar el órgano competente en exigir la retirada de unos residuos sólidos urbanos y la vegetación de ribera acumulados en el entorno de una parcela de Asparrena colindante con el cauce del río Zirauntza. 

Relató que, en junio de 2022, denunció tanto ante URA como ante el Ayuntamiento de Asparrena la existencia de una serie de residuos sólidos urbanos y un exceso de vegetación en el cauce de ese río. Expuso que esos residuos estaban obstruyendo el paso del agua del río, con la posibilidad de incrementar el riesgo de desbordamiento. Por ello, solicitó a ambas administraciones su intervención, para garantizar su retirada.

En diciembre, el ayuntamiento le informó de que había instado a los propietarios de las parcelas colindantes, con el fin de que tomaran las medidas correspondientes para su limpieza. Y en el caso de aquellos que no lo hicieran, comunicó que lo notificaría a URA, al considerar que era el organismo competente para su sanción.

Meses más tarde, URA le confirmó la existencia de los residuos urbanos acumulados, y le dio cuenta de las actuaciones seguidas por esa agencia ante el Ayuntamiento de Asparrena para actuar sobre los residuos, así como de las actuaciones municipales para requerir a los propietarios de las parcelas la reposición del terreno.

En mayo de 2023, el interesado volvió a dirigirse a URA reiterando su denuncia. También solicitó información sobre la normativa aplicable y sobre quién era la administración competente para actuar en ese caso.  

Transcurrido más de un mes desde esa solicitud, el reclamante no había recibido una respuesta expresa y acudió al Ararteko.

Tras analizar la queja esta institución recomendó a URA que impulsase las medidas correspondientes para responder a las denuncias presentadas por la acumulación de residuos en el entorno del cauce del río Zirauntza a su paso por Asparrena y que ejerciera las funciones de inspección y policía, para garantizar la eliminación de todos los residuos depositados que degradaran el ecosistema fluvial.

Recientemente, el Ararteko ha recibido un informe de la Agencia Vasca del Agua/URA en la que traslada su respuesta. En él agradece el análisis y estudio jurídico realizado por esta defensoría y reconoce la existencia de errores en la gestión del caso. También comunica que ha emitido un informe jurídico para aclarar las competencias en materia de residuos en el dominio público hidráulico. En conclusión, URA acepta la recomendación del Ararteko y se compromete a actuar para eliminar los residuos y proteger el ecosistema fluvial.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) have launched their aligned Complaint Handling Codes which will result in better services to the public and make good practice in complaint handling clearer for local authorities and landlords.

They are launched on the day the LGSCO celebrates 50 years of remedying injustice, with 8th February marking the start of the Local Government Act 1974, which created a Commission to investigate administrative actions of local authorities.

The Complaint Handling Codes are an update of the existing Housing Ombudsman Code and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s Good Practice Guidance. They make good complaint handling easier for local authorities and landlords, while setting clear expectations for the public.

Both organisations consulted on a single Code in November 2023 which saw more than 150 councils, 250 landlords and 360 members of the public respond. In response to the consultation, and to recognise the different legal powers the organisations hold, they have produced two closely aligned Codes for complaint handling – one for council services outside of housing and one for landlords and housing authorities.

The Codes are based on unified principles and share many of the same approaches in key areas like response times. This approach follows that of the Scottish and Northern Irish Public Services Ombudsmen who have model procedures for different services under a set of unified principles.

Ms Amerdeep Somal, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“The Complaint Handling Codes mark an important step in improving standards and helping to give complaints management the priority status it deserves as part of local service delivery.

“We appreciate the feedback from the consultation and have come to a position of two individual codes that have a unified approach but recognise the different contexts in which our Ombudsman schemes work.

“50 years and still innovating! The LGSCO has a rich history of holding public services to account and helping to make things better for people using them. But by setting out clear advice and guidance, for the first time, on having an effective complaints process, it proves we are not resting on our laurels.”

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said:

“Our statutory Code promotes a positive complaints culture across the social housing sector and ensures residents do not experience a postcode lottery in complaint handling.

“We welcome the positive engagement with the Code and its aims during our consultation, and it is crucial this is translated into action on the ground. It is essential for landlords prepare for the statutory Code and this includes a robust self-assessment being submitted to the Housing Ombudsman.

“Landlords should see the release of this Code as an opportunity to reflect on their complaint handling and to make improvements where necessary to deliver better services to residents.”

The update to the Housing Ombudsman’s Code will be statutory and apply from 1 April. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s Code has today launched with information to support councils who want to be early adopters.

In 2024 LGSCO will invite a group of pilot local authorities to develop a good practice guide which will support councils to implement the Code. Councils should start to adopt the Code soon after this, if they haven’t already done so, and once it has incorporated learning from the local authority pilots, LGSCO will start considering use of the Code as part of its investigation processes.

Article date: 08 February 2024

On January 30, 2023, the Public Defender made a recommendation to Impexfarm LLC relating to the identification of discrimination on multiple grounds (gender and marital status).

According to the factual circumstances of the case, the manager of one of pharmacies located in the city of Poti was on maternity leave twice in a row. After the end of the leave, the employer refused to reinstate her in her job, because, due to the long leave, another person had already been employed. Instead, the employer offered the applicant a job in Kutaisi, in the pharmacy that has not yet opened. It should be noted that after the expiration of the second leave, the employer gave the applicant a leave without pay, and from March 5, 2022 until now, the applicant has, in fact, been without work and income.

According to the Public Defender's explanation, an employee has the right to return to the same job and enjoy the same working conditions after the end of maternity or adoption leave, and also to benefit from any improved working conditions that she would have been entitled to if she had not taken leave.

In addition, the Public Defender believes that the company's offer to send the resident of Poti to work in Kutaisi significantly worsens the employee's situation, as it takes more than 3 hours (limit set by law) to get to the workplace.

Accordingly, the Public Defender made a recommendation to Impexfarm LLC:

• to immediately stop the discriminatory treatment of the applicant and reinstate her in the same workplace and same position;
• to provide appropriate compensation for the involuntarily missed hours;
• not to allow discriminatory treatment on the basis of gender, pregnancy, marital status or other grounds in labour relations in the future and to ensure the implementation of equality policy in the company.

Ombudsman.be, le réseau belge des Ombudsmans, a tenu son assemblée générale ce jeudi 1er février 2024 dans les locaux de la Chambre des Représentants.
Le réseau regroupe aujourd'hui 30 institutions de médiateurs et ombudsmans institutionnels (Etat, Régions, communes, …) et sectoriels (assurances, secteur postal, énergie, …).

©daviddannevoye - Les membres du réseau

Lors de cette assemblée générale, les membres ont pu faire le point sur les nombreuses activités menées par l'association, tant à l'égard des citoyens que de leurs institutions.

Ce fut également l'occasion de désigner les membres de l'organe d'administration, identique à celui sortant, à savoir : 

• Président : Marc BERTRAND, Médiateur de la Wallonie et de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
• Trésorier : Paul DE MAEYER, Ombudsman pour le secteur postal
• Adminstrateurs : 
  • David BAELE, Médiateur fédéral
  • Marlene HARDT, Médatrice de la Communauté germanophone
  • Cynthia VAN DER LINDEN, Médiatrice pour les voyageurs ferroviaires
  • Karla BLOMME, Médiatrice de la Ville d'Anvers
  • Jean-Luc LABBÉ, Médiateur de la Ville de Charleroi

©daviddannevoye - L'Organe d'administration réélu

A l'issue de cette réunion, le réseau avait invité l'ensemble des collaborateurs des institutions membres afin de leur présenter leurs voeux pour cette nouvelle année.
Cette initiative "d'Ombuds afternoon" fait suite à la grande campagne de notoriété que le réseau a organisé en octobre 2023 durant 15 jours au travers de 5 villes flamandes, Bruxelles et 5 villes wallonnes sous le nom d'OmbudsTour.

"Ces dernières années, je pense que notre réseau a grandi. Nos prédécesseurs ont construit de solides assises à notre réseau, qui ont contribué à développer un sentiment d’appartenance à la même communauté, à la même famille des ombudsmans. Depuis quelques années, nous lui avons donné des projets concrets à réaliser. Et nous en avons réalisé plusieurs. Nous avons donné du contenu à notre coopération, ce qui ici également a renforcé ce sentiment d’appartenance, cette communauté de services, cette vision commune. Et aujourd’hui, nous sommes de plus en plus reconnus comme un interlocuteurs de premier plan, interlocuteurs à respecter malgré tout… " s'exprimait le Président.

L'occasion donc de remercier tous les membres du personnel pour le travail qu'ils réalisent chaque jour pour donner le meilleur service aux citoyens, souvent confrontés à des difficultés ou éprouvant une insatisfaction.