Trade union representative body insists on revising draft law No. 10147 with social partners
The Joint Representative Body of Trade Unions has appealed to the President requesting a veto on the Law 'On the safety and health of employees at work'. The document notes that the version of draft law No. 10147 passed by the Verkhovna Rada on October 12, 2026, was approved without proper coordination with social partners. This is reported by the portal PromPolitInform, citing information from the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine.
The appeal emphasises that the document adopted by parliament does not comply with the principles of social dialogue and ignores the results of a tripartite working group that operated under the Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans’ Rights for 8 months. Trade union associations claim that the final draft of the law differs significantly from the version previously discussed and contains a number of controversial provisions.
Criticism of the adoption procedure
According to trade union representatives, over 1,000 amendments developed with the participation of Members of Parliament and International Labour Organization experts were ignored during the vote. There is concern that the final text of the normative act almost completely replicates the version submitted back in 2023, without taking into account current amendments and feedback from the stakeholders.
Threat to workers’ rights
The key grievance of the Joint Representative Body of Trade Unions lies in the potential narrowing of workers’ rights and guarantees in the areas of hygiene and occupational safety. The authors of the appeal point to the conflict between these norms and Article 22 of the Constitution of Ukraine, as well as the requirements of EU Council Directive 89/391/EEC and the provisions of the Association Agreement, which prohibit the degradation of the level of protection of citizens’ rights.
Requirement to revise the document
Furthermore, the trade unions believe that the new law restricts their powers to exercise public control over employers’ compliance with labour regulations. Consequently, the organisation is calling for draft law No. 10147 to be returned to the Verkhovna Rada for revision within the National Tripartite Social and Economic Council.
Chairman of the Joint Representative Body of Trade Unions Serhii Byzov announced the organisation’s readiness to provide a detailed expert analysis and continue consultations to develop a balanced legislative act. Trade unions are convinced that this approach will facilitate the stable development of enterprises and ensure decent working conditions for millions of Ukrainians.
Photo: Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine
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