Parliament July 2 adopted a new Labour Code which defines the basic duties of employers and employees. Of 134 deputies present, 100 voted for the law, 6 voted against, 9 did not vote and 19 abstained.
The law, among other things, sets the minimum length of paid leave at 20 days annually. Weekly working hours may not exceed 40 and employees younger than 16 may not work more than 30 hours per week.
However, MPs failed to support a provision forbidding workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Homosexual rights groups attacked the rejection as allowing for workplace discrimination against homosexuals.
Overall, the new Code gives greater power to organised labour and obeys most European Union labour and anti-discrimination norms.
