The Ukrainian parliament has passed two new radical measures on labour liberalisation, prompting fears of Ukrainians losing workplace rights permanently as Russia’s war puts huge pressure on the country’s economy.
In two laws passed on Monday and Tuesday, MPs voted to legalise zero-hours contracts and made moves towards removing up to 70% of the country’s workforce from protections guaranteed by national labour law.
The latter measure means that employers at small- and medium-sized employers can choose to strike bespoke employment agreements with their employees, outside the national labour code. It also removes the legal authority of trade unions to veto workplace dismissals.
