| Document Name: | Labor Code of Ukraine |
| Orig Lang Code: | uk |
| Title Orig: | Кодекс законів про працю України |
| Date Ratified: | 10 December 1971 |
| Date Effective: | 17 December 1971 |
The Labor Code of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Кодекс законів про працю України|translit=Kodeks zakoniv pro pratsyu Ukrayiny) is the national code of laws about labor. The code was adopted and ratified by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR on 10 December 1971.[1]
The Labor Code of Ukraine was adopted in the Soviet period and after the declaration of Ukraine's independence it was not adopted in a new version, only some articles of the Code were added and updated, which makes it generally considered an outdated legal act.[2]
The right to work in Ukraine is guaranteed by Article 43 of the Constitution of Ukraine and the Labor Code develops the provisions of this provision of the Basic Law. The right to work is the right of Ukrainian citizens, ensured by the state, to obtain employment with remuneration not lower than the minimum wage established by the state, and to freely choose a profession, occupation and work.
To replace the Labor Code adopted back in 1971, the government of Ukraine introduced draft law No. 2708 "On Labor," which was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on December 28, 2019, a couple of days before the deadline set by the president. By January 1, 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers was supposed to create conditions for "liberalization of labor relations and updating labor legislation." The document already has alternative versions, introduced by deputies of the Opposition Platform — For Life and Batkivshchyna.[3]
The Labor Code of Ukraine is divided into 18 chapters: