Ensuring Wage Payment Rights for Retirees

Labor Initiatives (LI) lawyers helped defend the labor rights of a retired employee of a leading Ukrainian state-owned enterprise specializing in the production of radio-electronic and radar equipment for aircraft and helicopters.

The worker was dismissed in 2020 due to retirement by age. However, on the day of dismissal, the employer failed to make the full final payment, leaving wage arrears of UAH 44,000. Despite repeated personal requests over a long period, the employer’s accounting department cited a lack of funds and continued to postpone the payment.

After several unsuccessful attempts to resolve the matter on her own, the employee turned to LI’s legal clinic in February 2023. LI lawyers prepared an official appeal to the employer demanding full payment of the wage arrears and compensation for the delay. They also drafted a lawsuit, which the worker presented to the employer while expressing her intent to go to court.

As a result, her rights were restored: the full amount of unpaid wages was paid, along with the legally required compensation. The total amount received was UAH 51,000 (approximately $1,400).