Successful Cancellation of Illegal Reprimand of Union Representative

Labor Initiatives (LI) lawyers successfully defended the rights of a worker at a transnational food-processing company who also serves as an elected member of a trade union body.

In February 2021, the worker was issued a disciplinary reprimand despite having committed no violations of labor discipline and fully performing his duties. Moreover, the employer failed to comply with legal procedures: under Ukrainian labor law, elected union representatives cannot be subjected to disciplinary action without the prior consent of the union body to which they belong.

LI’s legal team filed a lawsuit and supported the worker throughout the entire legal process. After two years of court proceedings, in March 2023, the court ruled in favor of the worker and canceled the unlawful reprimand. The ruling reaffirmed the legal protections afforded to union representatives and emphasized the importance of proper procedures in disciplinary actions involving union-elected employees.