WORKING CONTRACTS IN ARMENIA CAN BE CONCLUDED IN ORAL FORM
ARKA
May 5, 2010
YEREVAN
On Wednesday standing committee of Armenian National Assembly on social
issues discussed the amendments in Labor Code of Armenia. According
to the amendments, working contracts in Armenia can be concluded not
only in written but also in oral form.
Arayik Petrosyan, Deputy Minister of Armenian Ministry of Social
Welfare said that the amendments adopted by NA in the first reading
were not only discussed in National Assembly but also by experts.
"Only in National Assembly it was discussed three times with
participation of representatives of state authorities and civil
society", he said.
The main goal of reformation of Labor Code is filling the gaps in
practice enforcement and harmonization of working relations.
According to the amendments, written and oral contracts have the same
force. The amendments regulate hiring teen-agers at the age of 16 for
temporary work, procedure and dates of working contract termination.
Particularly termination of working contract by the employer with
pregnant women is prohibited.
But the amendments caused insatisfaction among experts. Mary
Khachatryan, lawyer of the Center of Human Rights’ Protection named
after Sakharov said that introduction of oral working contracts
will not allow to protect interests of employees. Currently some
organizations conclude oral contracts. In case of disputes and
application of the employee to the court the employers say that they
do not know the given employee and they did not hire her/him.
The experts were not satisfied with the norm regulating the order
of hiring children up to 16 years of age. Deputy Minister said that
children can be hired only for temporary jobs which will not harm them
physically and morally. Working carrier of working children will be
included in insurance carrier as it is currently.