"Dear compatriots,
On behalf of the Human Rights Defender's Office and myself personally, I wholeheartedly congratulate you on the occasion of May 1, International Workers’ Day.
This international holiday is dedicated to glorify work and workers, protect the labor rights of each person.
In our country, a series of issues related to the proper exercise of the labor rights still remain actual.
The studies of the Human Rights Defender's Office and the examination of received complaints emphasize the need for additional efforts to ensure safe and dignified working conditions, the right to rest and leisure, fair remuneration, including the right to be paid for overtime work.
The issue of excluding discrimination in the labor market also remains problematic. In this regard, it is particularly essential to address the issue of lower participation of women in the labor market, and provide effective legal and practical frameworks for the exclusion of sexual harassment in the workplace. In addition, the continuity of efforts aimed at ensuring the labor rights of persons with disabilities, including an accessible working environment, is paramount.
From this point of view, the Defender also considers it important to take measures of proper state oversight over the provision of labor rights in the private sector, as well as the implementation of measures aimed at increasing the level of awareness on labor rights among employees and employers.
I wish all of us effective and creative work and emphasize the necessity of continuous active steps by the RA competent bodies towards strengthening proper frameworks for the protection of labor rights."
