Lukashenko signs decree on payments

On February 12, the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, signed a Decree "On Ensuring Payment of Wages and Remuneration." The document establishes that the Department of State Labour Inspection will gain the right to require employers to rectify violations of legislation within a specified period in cases of non-payment or partial payment of both wages and remuneration under civil law contracts.

If authorized business entities fail to comply with the requirements, the recovery of unpaid amounts will be carried out through extrajudicial procedures. The State Labour Inspection Department has the right to send to enforcement authorities a submission to initiate enforcement proceedings in the interest of citizens.

Furthermore, the decree increases the amount of priority payments deducted from employers toward settling wage arrears. The new amount ranges from 1.5 to 3 budgets of the minimum subsistence level.

Context

This action takes place within the context of ongoing reforms of Belarusian labour legislation aimed at strengthening social protection for workers.