21 November 2013, 14:23
The people’s deputies, representatives of ministries, and other state central executive authorities, as well as trade unions and employers’ organizations, scientific establishments and NGOs participated in the event.
The Chairman of the Committee Petro Tsybenko opening the hearings, claimed that the Verkhovna Rada ratified one of two main documents of the Council of Europe in the sphere of human rights - the European Social Charter (revised) of September 14, 2006 aimed at protecting social and economic rights of citizens.
P. Tsybenko also noted that Ukraine’s accession to the Charter will bring it closer to the European standards.
‘It is not the first time that the Committee considers status of implementation of this important document. Since the ratification, the status of its implementation has been under constant Parliament’s and Committee’s control,’ said the Chairman of the Committee.
The Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Koshulynskyi participated in the Committee’s hearings. Addressing the participants of the hearings, he said that ‘steps that we are about to make – is the maximum approximation to those standards of citizens’ protection the united Europe has.’
‘Why can’t we reach this today? Why everything is stalling? Why does not a great number of our citizens have qualitative social protection?’ – asked R.Koshulynskyi and called the participants of the event for participating in discussion which should give a mutual understanding of ‘which steps should an executive branch of power and social sphere workers make to maximally accelerate qualitative social protection of our citizens.’
The Deputy Minister of Social Policy Viacheslav Kolomiiets claimed that the Charter defined the rights of citizens that guarantee employment, working conditions, social protection, affordable and efficient health care, etc. for them.
V. Kolomiiets informed that since Ukraine acceded the Charter, the government has given five national reports on complying with the Charter’s articles.
V. Kolomiiets also informed that next year Ukraine will give another answer according to a topic group ‘Children, family, migrants’ which will reflect a renewed national situation in this sphere.
Participants
of the hearings noted that the situation with implementing provisions of the European Social Charter
(revised) in Ukraine still remains difficult. It was stressed that
ratification of the Charter, particularly compliance with its norms and
standards is one of conditions for successful implementation of Ukraine’s
European aspirations and it requires constructive cooperation of the Verkhovna
Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, central executive authorities and Parties of social
dialogue.
It was noted that in connection with ratification of the Charter certain questions arise: on the necessity of efficient preparation of reports on fulfillment of its provisions, which Ukraine has acceded and on further refinement of national legislation regarding articles and clauses of the Charter, which Ukraine has not acceded during ratification in view of full ratification of the document.
Participants of hearings noted that no specific measures were determined to bring situation in Ukraine in line with provisions of the European Social Charter (Revised), particularly, in regard to improper fulfillment of recommendations of parliamentary hearings entitled “On the status of implementation of the European Social Charter in Ukraine (Revised).”
Rapporteurs drew attention to the fact that under the information-analytical materials on the state of fulfillment of Recommendations of parliamentary hearings entitled “On the status of implementation of the European Social Charter in Ukraine (revised)”, only 11 issues were fulfilled in full, 2 – partially and 19 – remain unaddressed.
Particularly, the following bills yet were not referred for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada:
on full scale ratification of the European Social Charter (Revised) and accession to the Protocol of consideration of collective complaints;
on establishment of the guarantee Fund to ensure protection of employees' money claims, in case of employers’ bankruptcy;
on reforming the Concept of remuneration;
on industrial safety, etc.
Attention was attached to the situation in other spheres of life, where the Charter’s provisions are implemented not to full extant.
Following the results of hearings, the Committee shall refer recommendations to the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, ministries and other governmental bodies in order to bring national legislation in line with requirements of the Charter.