The last straw: why worker from Lviv decided to “go to light”

A growing number of Ukrainians are getting tired of working undeclared: working overtime with no pay, having no vacations, and not having access to sick leave and other social guarantees. However, to move from words to actions, one needs to be given a nudge. To a Lviv resident, Olena (name changed), the State Labour Service's “Go to Light!” information campaign became such a “magic kick".

Article | 18 February 2021
From the very start of her professional activity, Olena was working without any labour contract. With each passing year, she was noticing more and more shortcomings on such working conditions, feeling increasingly misguided and fooled around.

I had leaves of two weeks' long at the most. I needed to beg for them, and they were not paid. Whenever dismissed, I was not provided with any severance pay, that is, we actually worked only for the agreed-upon wage paid “in an envelope”. When we were sick, the leave was also at our own expense "

Olena says
Some months ago, she communicated with labour inspectors, who gave her the “Go to Light!” booklet. At first, Olena paid no attention to it, but then, at home, she decided to read it. She learned what undeclared work is and what benefits are available to the workers whose work is declared. Following that, she finally decided that she should search for a new job where she would have a labour contract.

I was lucky: in a few months, I found a job in my line of work and managed to get officially employed. At last, I feel stability and confidence in my future. I advise all workers to only work declared. Indeed, it means security and social guarantees,"

Olena advises
Read more about declared work benefits at the SLS website. If you need advice, approach a labour inspector.

The “Go to Light!” information campaign is supported by the EU-ILO Project “Towards safe, healthy and declared work in Ukraine”.

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