Ukraine's Parliament Backs Workplace Risk Audits as Unions Fight to Keep Hazard Pay
Published on 10/18/2026 at 15:03 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Kremlin-critical deputies and trade union leaders in Kyiv are locked in an argument over whether Ukraine's new occupational safety law protects workers or quietly strips them of hard-won privileges. At the centre of the dispute is legislation numbered 10147, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada at second reading on 12 October 2026 with 246 votes.
The law requires employers to carry out regular risk assessments at every individual workplace. It is designed to replace a purely punitive inspection model with a risk-based approach and transposes European framework directive 89/391/EEC into Ukrainian law. The reform had been nearly eight years in the making.
Whatever the politics, the principle at the heart of the reform is one safety professionals everywhere recognise: risk assessments done properly, at every individual workplace. A free toolkit gives you 41 ready-to-use templates and checklists — covering fire safety, manual handling, first aid and lone working — so your documentation stands up when it matters. Download the free Risk Assessment Toolkit
A deputy's warning
Andrij Klotschko, a member of parliament who chairs the cross-party group "Trade Unions of Ukraine," said the warnings issued by the FPU trade union federation about the law were justified. In remarks reported on 18 October 2026, he argued that existing safeguards for people working in health-harming conditions must not be dismantled before the working environment actually improves. Should employees' situation demonstrably deteriorate, amendments to the law would have to follow.
Klotschko backed the unions' demand that benefits such as wage supplements, extra leave and shorter working hours be retained for staff in hazardous production. He called the legislation less than ideal but pointed to its European origins. The Verkhovna Rada's main legal department had flagged legal risks in the bill well before the vote.
Three concerns from the union federation
FPU chairman Serhij Bysow, whose warnings were reported on 17 October 2026, said the federation supports European standards in principle but rejects introducing them at the expense of rights workers already hold. He set out three specific fears.
The first is that insurance mechanisms could take the place of the existing state authorisation procedure for dangerous work. The second concerns protection for victims of workplace accidents, particularly employees who are not officially registered. The third is that vague legal wording could weaken social guarantees — extra leave, reduced hours and pay supplements — with miners, metallurgy workers and chemical industry staff most exposed.
Opposition pushback and a failed repeal attempt
Resistance also came from within the opposition. The Batkiwschtschyna party opposes bill 10147, and its representatives told parliament the draft threatened labour rights, citing preferential pensions, higher pay and employers' liability in accidents. Oleksandr Tschornoivanenko, who heads the party's Kirowohrad regional organisation, called for workplace safety to take priority, for international obligations to be honoured and for the unions' position to be taken into account.
Lawmakers then tried to undo the decision. On 16 October 2026 the Verkhovna Rada rejected four resolutions seeking to annul law 10147 and law 15094 on basic social assistance, the latter having passed the previous day with 247 votes. The four motions drew just 13, 11, 10 and 9 votes respectively, far short of the 226 needed.
One recurring worry in this debate is vague wording leaving employers and workers unsure where they stand. Clear, written documentation is the best defence — and a free Health & Safety Toolkit covers the essentials in one download, from risk assessments to COSHH, PUWER, fire safety and PPE checklists. More than 37,000 UK businesses already rely on it. Get the free Health & Safety Toolkit
Parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefantschuk must now sign the adopted laws and forward them to the president for signature.
