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Exclusive: EU concerned by Ukraine’s controversial labour reforms

European Union says Ukraine’s reforms must follow international labour standards and social dialogue principles

By Thomas Rowley and Kateryna Farbar
Exclusive: EU concerned by Ukraine’s controversial labour reforms
Thousands of businesses - like this bread factory in Kharkiv - have been destroyed, damaged or disrupted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine | (c) ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo. All rights reserved
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The European Union has regularly expressed concerns about the radical labour reforms Ukraine has been trying to implement since 2020, openDemocracy can reveal.

The controversial reforms seek to deregulate what the Ukrainian government considers the outsized role of trade unions in the workplace and excessive red tape on hiring, firing and management.

But briefings dating from before and after the Russian invasion show the EU has urged the government to conduct reforms in line with international labour standards and in consultation with trade unions.

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