Rada forbids charging workers for employment abroad
The Verkhovna Rada prohibited companies operating in the field of employment abroad from charging potential job seekers and introduced penalties for violating this requirement. All expenses must be borne by the employer looking for personnel, according to draft law No. 2365, which legislators supported on March 20, with 268 votes in favor.
The parliamentarians enshrined in the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses a new article on punishment for violating the requirements of legislation in the field of employment mediation services.
It provides that the collection of any fees, commissions, rewards or other types of payment for employment mediation services in Ukraine or abroad is punishable by a fine in the amount of 3,500 to 4,000 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens (60,000-68,000 UAH or $1,625-1,841).
The approved changes provide for the creation of a list of companies that provide mediation services in employment abroad. They will have to declare existing contracts with a foreign employer.
They are also required to provide a draft of the employment contract certified by the foreign employer before the job seeker leaves the country, which must be confirmed by his electronic signature.
The bill aims to protect job seekers against fraudsters who take money for future employment and then disappear.
The document enters into force six months after its publication.
- This is the second law aimed at protecting migrant workers. In the fall of 2022, changes to the employment law came into force, obliging mediators to provide their consultations free of charge, but they did not provide for any punishment.
