Labor rights violation study within COVID-19 pandemic
“Coronavirus pandemic: legal mechanisms of workers labour and social rights protection” Manual was developed as a part of the humanitarian initiative “Humanity and mutual assistance” of the International Renaissance Foundation and the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.
The first coronavirus cases were registered in Ukraine at the beginning of March 2020. The government has taken preventive measures on acute respiratory disease COVID-19 caused coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, since the quarantine started on 12th of March 2020 in Ukraine.
Such measures included temporary borders closure, food and trade institutions closure, public transport use restriction, some business entities activities suspension, in particular cultural institutions, sports clubs and restaurants. The remote work for most offices employees and down timing was introduced..jpg)
There was a significant change in working conditions for employees due to the general economic downturn, which are significantly affected labour relations.
Since then and until now the Parliament of Ukraine has adopted about 50 normative legal acts: laws, amendments and their supplements, resolutions aimed at overcoming the coronavirus pandemic.
In turn, the Cabinet of Ministries of Ukraine adopted more than 70 regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The Manual presents a study on violation cases during the coronavirus pandemic, international experience, as well as detailed changes on labour and social rights of employees introduced in national legislation.
This document was developed for increasing the capacity of trade union lawyers and its’ further use in the protection of labour and social rights of trade union members.
The Manual provides a general analysis of legislative changes. It is supposed that these measures are insufficient, not aimed at protecting incomes of workers and labour market, gender equality and reducing unemployment. Of course, the state took care of simplification of registration procedure at the state employment centre as an unemployed person, personal assistance for individuals - entrepreneurs who have minor children, introduced innovation on unpaid leave with the consent of the parties, settled the downtime during the quarantine, conducted flexible forms of labour organization, but, unfortunately, unemployment and income rates have declined significantly.
The presented document also drew attention to the recommendations of the International Trade Union Confederation, which appealed to trade unions around the world to return to work in a recession of the COVID-19 pandemic.