Ucrania - Unions mobilise against legislative assault on workers’ and trade union rights

The government of Ukraine is preparing a massive legislative assault on fundamental trade union rights. On 27 December, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine submitted to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) a new draft law on labour which would strip workers of legal protections and unions of their ability to protect them. Measures envisaged include excluding unions from the workplace and eliminating collective bargaining; encouraging unfair dismissals while promoting fixed-term and zero-hours contracts; facilitating the transfer of employees without their consent; imposing a massive expansion of overtime; and eliminating many social protections, for example by facilitating the dismissal of mothers with small children.

Other draft laws have been recently introduced in the same manner, namely draft laws “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine (Concerning Some Issues of Trade Union Activity)” (Reg. No. 2681); “On Amendments to the Labour Code of Ukraine concerning Additional Grounds for Dismissal” (Reg. No. 2584); and some others. They will erode fundamental rights in breach of international standards.

The proposed law is in flagrant violation of numerous fundamental and technical Conventions of the ILO, in particular ILO Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association; ILO Convention No. 98 on Collective Bargaining; ILO Convention No. 144 on Tripartite Consultations; and ILO Convention No. 131 on Minimum Wage Fixing, as well as the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

Furthermore, these legislative amendments were developed behind closed doors and without full and frank tripartite consultations with representative trade unions.

Ukrainian unions have announced a protest campaign rejecting the draft laws and the approach of the government. International solidarity is organising.

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