On June 22, the RA Parliament will discuss a bill, which is expected to worsen employees’ working conditions.

The Government-drafted amendments to the RA Labor Code run counter to the trilateral collective agreement signed with the Confederation of Armenian Trade Unions and Union of Employers of Armenia, Shmavon Mkrtchyan, Chairman of Association of Trade Unions of Sales Workers, Public Catering Enterprises and Business Companies, told NEWS.am.

Specifically, the aforementioned agreement obliges the signors to improve both the business environment and employees’ social conditions.

The draft amendments, however, show the Government is concerned over the business environment rather than over workers’ social conditions. According to Mkrtchyan, the Government-planned amendments to the RA Labor Code will even worsen employees’ unenviable conditions to “please” employers.

Mkrtchyan asked a rhetorical question: what is the country’s priority - favorable conditions for business environment or protection of employees? In fact, employees are defenseless “at employers’ hands.”

The scandalous point on “verbal contracts” has been removed under trade unions’ pressure. Mkrtchyan pointed out that at the latest discussion of the document by the Committee of Social Affairs, RA Parliament, trade unions managed to “convince” MPs of the inadvisability and grave consequences of verbal contracts.

However, Mkrtchyan is not sure that the Parliament will not discuss the point at its next sitting. Even without this point, the amendments the Government has been drafting since last March, in absolute secrecy (trade unions were informed of it moths later) need serious revision.

Mkrtchyan, as well as his colleagues, share the opinion that the planned radical amendments to the RA Labor Code must be submitted to public discussions and, if approved, to Parliament.