Under martial law, the State Labor Inspectorate (SLI) was required to suspend all unscheduled OSH inspections. It currently remains an advisory-only entity that can provide consultations to workers and employers on a set list of issues.
However, the Law of Ukraine No.2352 “On the Optimization of Labor Relations,” which entered into force on July 19, 2023, enabled the restoration of labor inspection control measures based on a limited list of grounds—such as the legality of dismissals and suspension of employment contracts, informal employment, and other conditions limited to the period of martial law surrounding schedules, paid leave, and other contractual matters.
Despite the attempt to fix this inspection gap and partially relaunch labor inspections, bureaucratic obstacles continue to inhibit the SLI from fulfilling its mandate. The government had to adopt special forms for conducting labor inspections during the war. And only on May 8, 2023, the Ministry of Justice registered the Order of the Ministry of Economy, which approved the format of the labor inspector`s order for conducting inspections during martial law. LI lawyers hope that this Order will enter into force soon and labor inspections will be conduct.
