Labor Initiatives (LI) lawyers have prepared and published a comprehensive legal analysis of the new draft Labor Code №14386, recently submitted to the Parliament of Ukraine. The document examines the structure of the draft, its alignment with EU and international labour standards, and the potential impact of the proposed changes on workers, trade unions, and industrial relations.
While the draft introduces certain positive elements – including references to equal pay for equal work, longer annual leave, and clearer indicators of employment relations – LI experts identify numerous legal ambiguities and risks. The analysis highlights concerns related to expanded employer surveillance powers, weakened trade union protections, increased overtime limits, shortened deadlines for court claims, restrictions on the right to strike, and the removal of key guarantees currently enshrined in labour legislation.
According to LI lawyers, reform of labour legislation must strengthen the protection of workers and uphold constitutional guarantees, especially in the context of Ukraine’s EU integration commitments and wartime realities. The full analytical review provides a detailed, article-by-article assessment of the draft and outlines recommendations to ensure that labour reform advances decent work and social dialogue rather than undermining them.
