Improving compliance with key International Labour Standards in Ukraine

The Ukrainian government wants to liberalize labour legislation with the aim of giving more flexibility to employers on hiring and dismissing workers. Furthermore, the government would like to pull out of collective bargaining and leave the negotiations on working conditions to social partners.

While a modernization of labour legislation is needed (the current labour code is from the 1970s), there is a high risk that the envisaged reforms do not properly balance the striving for more flexibility and the need to provide social security and to respect labour rights. Furthermore, discussions on modernizing the labour law have also shown a lack of consultation with social partners weakening the capacity of trade unions to defend the interests of their members and discouraging the engagement of employers. If not properly managed, these developments might lead to an erosion of labour rights and other working conditions, increased social unrest, and lower productivity. In this context, it is crucial that fundamental principles and rights at work, as embedded in ILO conventions ratified by Ukraine, are fully reflected in any pieces of revised labour legislation and their application in practice.

The project assists the government, the social partners, and the judiciary to respect and apply the fundamental principles and rights at work when developing and implementing new labour legislation. Furthermore, the project aims at promoting effective collective bargaining in Ukraine. In this context, the project supports collective bargaining agreements in ten private companies as pilots to be replicated elsewhere. Finally, the project helps Ukrainian authorities to address the worst forms of child labour.

Through the application of fundamental principles and rights at work and the promotion of effective negotiations between workers’ and employers’ organizations the project is expected to contribute in the long run to the achievement of fair working conditions, harmonious labour and industrial relations, and increased productivity.