**Purpose** (EGGLG)

1. This Act aims to promote the actual equality of women and men in working life as a supplement to the Gender Equality Act.

1. The Regional Conciliation Authority Bern-Mittelland is the cantonal conciliation body for the employees of the canton and the municipalities.

1. The cantonal conciliation authority informs and advises the parties and strives for an amicable settlement.

2. It informs the public about its activities and submits an annual report to the government council.

1. The request for conciliation must be submitted before initiating any legal remedy or appeal.

2. Submitting a request for conciliation preserves the appeal deadline. If the conciliation attempt fails, the regular appeal period recommences upon the delivery of the protocol.

3. Otherwise, the procedure is governed accordingly by the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Law of May 23, 1989 (VRPG)[3].

Insofar as this law does not contain specific provisions, the regulations of personnel legislation, municipal legislation, and the VRPG apply to legal protection.

1. Upon receipt of a dissolution order, the employee may choose to waive the continuation of the employment relationship during the arbitration or complaint procedure and instead claim compensation.

2. The compensation is determined with consideration of all circumstances; it must not exceed the amount of six months' salary.

1. If the conditions of Article 7 of the GlG[4] are met, organizations may obtain a declaratory ruling in their own name regarding the alleged discrimination.

1. The termination of a public law employment relationship is void if it occurs without justified cause following the invocation of the conciliation authority or a complaint about discrimination by the employee.

2. This provision applies mutatis mutandis to the termination of an employment relationship due to a complaint by an organization pursuant to Article 7 of the Gender Equality Act (GlG).

1. The employee is protected from termination of the employment relationship for the duration of a conciliation or complaint procedure and for six months thereafter.

1. The right to vote according to Article 22 shall apply mutatis mutandis to the employee.

The proceedings are free of charge. Exceptions are cases of frivolous litigation.

1. The canton and the municipalities support the conciliation authority in its task.

2. They inform the public in an appropriate manner about issues of gender equality between women and men, and about legal protection according to the Gender Equality Act[6].

1. The following authorities, offices, and their employees are exempt from the obligation to report crimes subject to public prosecution as per Article 48 of the Introductory Act of June 11, 2009, to the Civil Procedure Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Youth Criminal Procedure Code (EG ZSJ)

a) the cantonal conciliation authority,

b) internal administrative contact persons, advisory offices, or expert commissions appointed by the government council,

c) advisory offices in the public service law of the municipalities.

1. The following enactments are amended

1. Law of July 7, 1918, concerning the Civil Procedure Code for the Canton of Bern (CPC) (8)

2. Law of November 2, 1992, on Public Service Law (Personnel Act, PA) (9)

1. The Ordinance of Introduction of 11 September 1996 to the Federal Act on Gender Equality (EV GlG) is repealed.

1. The government council determines the date of entry into force.