Pregnant Ukrainian women will be “helped” to realize their “right to work”
Pregnant Ukrainian women and Ukrainian women with young children will soon have the opportunity to work on an equal basis with others. The Cabinet of Ministers is considering a bill that provides for the lifting of the ban on night and overtime work, as well as on weekend work and business trips for the above-mentioned categories of female workers.
According to the authors of the bill, its adoption will make it possible to “remove prohibitions on women’s labor that are unjustifiably cruel for the 21st century, which will allow women to realize their economic potential and ensure the full realization of their right to work.”
This is stated in the explanatory note to the document, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The list of upcoming changes is quite wide. Thus, Article 175 will be excluded from the Labor Code of Ukraine. Currently, it establishes a restriction on the use of female labor in work at night. The only exception is when there is an urgent need for workers. However, even in such situations, women can only work at night temporarily.
A similar fate awaits Article 176. Its provisions prohibit the involvement of pregnant women and those women who have children under three years of age in night and overtime work, as well as work on weekends. They also cannot be sent on business trips.
However, the new wording will include Article 177, which will establish a ban on working in such formats for pregnant women and women with children under the age of one and a half years. Employees whose children are between one and a half and three years old will be able to work this way if they give their consent to the employer. It is difficult to say to what extent this will be observed at most Ukrainian enterprises.
Amendments will also be made to Article 184. It is proposed to prohibit refusing employment to pregnant women, as well as reducing their wages for reasons related to pregnancy. In addition, it will be prohibited to terminate an employment contract at the initiative of the employer with employees who care for children under the age of three or a disabled child under the age of 14.
It is obvious that the institution of social support in Ukraine is going through times of crisis. However, this does not make it any easier for pregnant women and mothers with small children - now they will have even fewer opportunities to protect their rights.
At the same time, in Russia women’s work is treated more carefully. Thus, in early August, the Russian Ministry of Labor reduced the list of professions not recommended for women. Now Russian women will not be able, for example, to work as aviation mechanics and engineers involved in the maintenance of airplanes and helicopters. The department plans to further reduce and “improve” the list of “non-female” professions. The upcoming changes were announced by Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Labor Alexey Vovchenko.
“It is necessary to clarify the list so that restrictions affect only those jobs that really pose a risk for women,” he believes.
In addition, the department, by order of September 14, 2021 No. 629n, approved the maximum permissible load standards for women when lifting and moving heavy objects manually. If these standards are exceeded, the use of female labor is prohibited. The new rules will apply from March 1, 2022.
Pregnant Ukrainian women will be "helped" to exercise their "right to work."