Senate Legalises Strikes: What it Means for Workers

The Senate of Uzbekistan has approved a law that establishes workers’ right to strike. The bill was рассмотрен at a Senate session.

A strike is defined as a temporary and voluntary collective refusal to work in order to protect labour and social rights.

The law now formally sets out procedures for notifying employers and labour authorities, as well as the rights and obligations of those taking part in strikes.

In addition, the law strengthens labour protections by guaranteeing safe working conditions, fair wages and freedom to choose a profession.

Amendments will be introduced to the Labour Code, Criminal Code, Administrative Code and Civil Procedure Code, as well as laws on trade unions and public associations.

In Uzbekistan, there have been cases where workers staged collective work stoppages due to unpaid wages or poor working conditions. These actions effectively amounted to strikes, but previously lacked a formal legal framework.

For example, in January, around 1,500 citizens of India held protests for several days demanding overdue wages. They were employed by the company Enter Engineering and claimed they had not been paid for four months.