In Azerbaijan, it has been determined that 1,677 people have worked at construction sites without employment contracts over the last 9 years.
Medianews.az reports that this information was released by the Labor Relations Monitoring Center of the State Agency for Citizen Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan.
Since the Center began its activities, it has conducted 380 mobile inspections to examine the status of labor relations at construction sites.
Within the framework of these monitoring activities, a total of 13,291 people were inspected, and it was determined that 1,677 of them were employed without labor contracts. It was found that the inspected workers represented 555 legal and physical entities.
During the monitoring, violations related to the employment of fewer than 10 workers without labor or service contracts were recorded for 238 employers, and violations related to the employment of 10 or more workers without contracts were recorded for 51 employers. In total, fines and financial sanctions amounting to 2,526,700 manats were imposed for the detected violations.
Alongside the inspection measures carried out within the framework of combating informal employment, extensive awareness-raising activities are also being conducted to promote the formalization of labor relations. Over the past 9 years, educational meetings have been organized with workers and employers at more than 547 multi-apartment residential buildings under construction in Baku city. During the meetings, the causes of informal employment were discussed, solutions were presented, and methodological recommendations were provided.
As a result of the comprehensive inspection and awareness-raising measures, significant progress has been made in formalizing labor relations in the construction sector of Baku city. Analyses show that compared to the initial period, the level of informal employment in the construction of multi-apartment residential buildings has decreased more than fourfold. The work done has enabled employers and workers to comply with the requirements of labor legislation at a higher level and has been accompanied by positive results in this area.
As a result of 380 mobile inspection measures, a total of 357,040 labor contracts were signed only with the monitored employers.
The Labor Relations Monitoring Center reiterates that when a labor contract or an amendment to it is signed by the parties with an enhanced electronic signature, it is considered concluded or amended from the date of the final signature and comes into legal force. Employers are advised to strictly comply with the requirements of labor legislation, and workers are recommended to demand the signing of a labor contract before starting work.
Mobile monitoring in the construction sector continues.