MNSK, 12 February (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed Decree No. 45 “On ensuring the payment of wages and remuneration” on 12 February, BelTA learned from the press service of the head of state.
According to the document, the State Labor Inspectorate shall have the right to issue binding directives to eliminate violations of legislation when instances of non-payment (or incomplete payment) are identified not only of wages within the established timeframe, but also of remuneration under civil law contracts.
If business entities fail to comply with these directives, such payments shall be recovered through an extrajudicial procedure. The State Labor Inspectorate shall petition the compulsory enforcement authorities to commence enforcement proceedings in the interests of the citizen.
Furthermore, in order to enhance the social protection of workers, the decree increases the amount of extraordinary payments withheld from employers to cover wage arrears — from 1.5 to 3 times the subsistence minimum budget.
According to the document, the State Labor Inspectorate shall have the right to issue binding directives to eliminate violations of legislation when instances of non-payment (or incomplete payment) are identified not only of wages within the established timeframe, but also of remuneration under civil law contracts.
If business entities fail to comply with these directives, such payments shall be recovered through an extrajudicial procedure. The State Labor Inspectorate shall petition the compulsory enforcement authorities to commence enforcement proceedings in the interests of the citizen.
Furthermore, in order to enhance the social protection of workers, the decree increases the amount of extraordinary payments withheld from employers to cover wage arrears — from 1.5 to 3 times the subsistence minimum budget.
As reported by BelTA, the relevant draft decree was recently discussed at a meeting of the president with the leadership of the Council of Ministers. The proposal under consideration was to apply the pre-trial debt recovery procedure, that is currently in force for wage arrears, to remuneration payable under civil law contracts. This approach was supported by the head of state following the meeting.
Minister of Labor and Social Protection Andrei Lobovich explained to journalists that such form of contracts between employers and employees as contractor agreement is gaining popularity. Last year, about 650,000 people worked under civil law contracts. Of these, more than 220,000 worked exclusively under such contracts.
However, this has also led to increased complaints received by the Department of State Labor Inspection regarding unpaid remuneration. “Accordingly, there is an urgent need to align the measures regulating unpaid remuneration with those regulating unpaid salaries within the framework of civil law contracts,” the minister noted.
Follow us on:
