Teachers are forced to be on duty at school bomb shelters at night

On June 14, one of the members of parliament posted on social media that teachers in Kyiv are forced to be on duty in the evening and at night at schools in order to keep school bomb shelters open during air alerts. Directors of many schools threaten retaliation by firing in case of refusal to be on duty.

Such “volunteer” work for teachers is not additionally compensated. The Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine published a statement criticizing teachers’ engagement in extra unpaid work.

Labor Initiatives lawyers also report numerous applications to LI legal clinics on this issue. Teachers across Ukraine complained about the pressure on them. Li lawyers believe that “volunteer” duties are a labor law violation directly falling under Article 31 of the Labor Code, ensuring that the employer shall not be entitled to demand from the employee to perform work not stipulated by an employment contract.

References to martial law and options to transfer to another work do not serve as a reasonable argument for teachers engagement in this work.