TODAY.AZ / Business

Transnational companies still tend to pay less to local workers

21 December 2016 [17:09] - TODAY.AZ

By Azernews

By Gunay Camal

The transnational companies operating in Azerbaijan tend to pay higher wages to its foreign workers. Still, the wages of local workers in the transnational companies is less than those of foreigners occupying the same positions.

Chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation, MP Sattar Mehbaliyev raised the issue at the meeting of the Confederation on December 21, voicing concern over the trend.

Mehbaliyev mentioned that the local workers also benefit less social services offered by these companies.

“Lack of trade unions in branches of the transnational companies such as BP, Statoil, AMOCO, McDonalds and Coca-Cola, as well as Bazarstore store chain negatively affects the provision of social-economic rights of those working for these companies,” he said.

The extension of working schedule of local workers, refusal to provide paid vacations have become commonplace, Mehbaliyev clarified. Workers, who temporarily lost ability to work, those who got occupational disease or injury are not paid allowances and compensations.

“I’d like to mention another worrying issue that allowed to ensure more efficient protection of labor rights of workers, prevention of violations of law, labor, social and economic rights and freedoms, provision of a more secure environment. Toughening penalties for forcing people to work before the labor contract took effect become the key factor in the prevention of non-formal labor relations,” he said.

Mehbaliyev further mentioned that over the past three years, the labor law inspectors carried out more than 550 cases of monitoring and research in this field.

“The results were discussed with the executive authorities and relevant measures were taken further. The major aim is to ensure proper conclusion and termination of labor contracts, provision of worker’s vacation and holiday rights, as well as additional vocation days, benefits of disabled, workers aged below 18 and women, in accordance with the country’s legislation,” he said.

Labor law inspectors may also appeal to the courts for protection of the rights of workers, according to Mehbaliyev.

“Over the past three years, our inspectors took 40 cases to the courts, and achieved reinstating 23 workers in their previous jobs, he said adding that the trade unions also face violation of property rights.

He mentioned that over the past three years the Confederation received 36,007 applications and complaints on labor rights.

“Of them 9,912 related to the labor legislation, including 2,350 about lost job place and 872 of them were reinstated,” he concluded.

A total of 4,915 million  economically active people were recorded in 2015, while 4,672 million of them were engaged in different fields of economy and 243,700 persons were registered as unemployed.

Over 2, 356 million persons or 50.4 persons of the total number of employed population in economy were engaged in production fields (agriculture and fishing, industry, construction) and over 2,315 million persons or 49.6 percent of the employed population were in the field of service. Some 1,503 million people or 32.2 percent of the total number of employed population in economy were hired workers in 2015.  

In 2005 to 2015 average monthly nominal wage of employees increased by 3.8 times to 466.9 manat (over $261).

URL: http://www.today.az/news/business/157135.html

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