compared to the total number of working days in 2015 was 4.92 per cent. Four employees were on maternity leave for a total of 181 days, of which individually for 63, 61, 46 and 11 days. On 1 April 2015, 12 public employees were promoted to higher salary grades, two of whom were also promoted to a higher title, while one was promoted to a higher title on 1 May 2015. While observing paragraph one of Article 7 of the ZUPPJS15, public employees who were promoted to a higher salary grade, title or higher title in 2015 obtained the right to salary as per the higher salary grade and the title obtained or higher title as of 1 December 2015. They were promoted to a higher title on 1 May 2015. The breakdown of employees as per salary grades is shown below. 7 The Ombudsman carefully plans the expert education and training of its employees in order to cover diverse needs for new or in-depth knowledge, information and skills, and enable staff to participate in various forms of education and training within and outside the institution. For individual work in the Ombudsman’s library, the institution provides a collection of national and international publications on human rights and Slovenian and foreign expert magazines covering different fields. The purpose of the established daily practice of morning meetings of all employees, which are usually convened by the Ombudsman or her Deputy in the event of her absence, is to exchange information, knowledge and skills on issues which were discussed at events that the employees attended the previous day, familiarisation with the anticipated obligations and events of the current day and informing staff on issues stressed by complainants in phone calls received the previous day. 5 Regular weekly expert board meetings convened by the Director of the Expert Service are also held. These meetings enable in-depth discussion of a current topic and the exchange of expert opinions and positions on individual issues, frequently involving professional dilemmas when discussing individual complaints. Staff regularly attend seminars and training held by external providers. The content and number of participants are given in the review of activities at the end of each substantive chapter. The Ombudsman organises an expert excursion for its employees once a year. In 2015, we visited the Resia Valley in Italy and met representatives of the ‘Rozajanski Dum’ Cultural Association. 4 3 2 1 0 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE OMBUDSMAN’S WORK Staff training and education 20 21 28 30 31 32 33 35 42 43 44 46 salary grades 47 49 50 51 53 54 55 63 Funds paid for overtime work as per budget item 3095 – Salaries amounted to EUR 4,729.44 (with contributions). Most overtime work was related to the Ombudsman’s transport for official or protocol purposes in the afternoon, on Saturdays, Sundays or other work-free days, the preparation and inventory of material in the general application of the Ombudsman’s cases due to absence from the Ombudsman’s office when maintenance works, painting, installation and the arrangement of additional air-conditioning were being implemented (on work-free days). Some EUR 5,502.97 (with contributions) were paid for work performance due to the increased workload from budget item 3095 – Salaries in 2015, and EUR 3,408.67 (with contributions) from budget item 9452 – Advocate – A Child’s Voice Project. It was decided with a Decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia (no. 07003-1/2014/4 of 12 June 2014) that the pilot project, Advocate – A Child’s Voice Project, implemented by the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia was to be extended until the end of 2015 as per the recommendation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia of 8 May 2013. The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities transferred funds in the amount of EUR 15,000.00 for the wages of the colleague conducting expert work and tasks in the field of advocacy on a fixed-term employment. The Ombudsman has been cooperating with the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana for several years on the Legal Clinic for Refugees and Foreigners project, which has been implemented by the Faculty of Law for 15 years. 3.6 STATISTICS This sub-chapter presents statistical data on cases considered by the Human Rights Ombudsman in the period from 1 January to 31 December 2015. 1. Cases considered in 2015 include:  • open cases in 2015: - complaints sent to the Ombudsman’s address, - complaints discussed by the Ombudsman of its own accord, and - complaints discussed as broader issues;   • transferred cases – ongoing cases from 2014, which the Ombudsman discussed in 2015;   • reopened cases − cases for which the procedure at the Ombudsman as at 31 December 2014 had been concluded, but which were again subject to consideration due to new substantive facts and circumstances in 2015; since these cases included new procedures in the same cases, new files were not opened. Ombudsman’s advisers Lan Vošnjak and Barbara Kranjc and Barbara Friedl, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana, received the awards Mentor and Referenca at the 2nd Academic and Economic Congress – AEC 2015 at Brdo pri Kranju on 3 June 2015. They received the awards for their ‘Analysis of court decision making on child care and protection’ (Analiza odločanja sodišč o vzgoji in varstvu otrok) prepared under the mentorship of Lan Vošnjak. The Referenca Award was given by Human Rights Ombudsman Vlasta Nussdorfer, who was selected as an Ambassador of Knowledge in 2014. The Ambassadors of Knowledge are established and renowned persons who possess knowledge in their chosen fields and work in private companies or public institutions. Their role is to select the best young talent from among the young people in a company or an institution on the basis of certain rules and reward them with the Referenca Award. The 2. Closed cases: Includes all cases considered in 2015 which were resolved by 31 December 2015. 206 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA FOR 2015 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA FOR 2015 Cases considered In 2015, the Ombudsman considered 3,418 cases, of which 2,785 cases were opened in 2015 (81.5 per cent); 546 cases were transferred from 2014 (16 percent) and there were 87 reopened cases (2.5 per cent). Table 3.6.2 indicates that there were 8.3 per cent fewer cases considered in 2015 in comparison with 2014. 207 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE OMBUDSMAN’S WORK number of people 6 Ambassadors of Knowledge meet high ethical criteria. The Ambassadors of Knowledge Project was organised by Life Learning Academia.