Serhiy Bielashov Sounds the Alarm: Why the New Law Hits Miners and Steelworkers

Head of the Batkivshchyna faction in the Poltava regional council, Serhiy Belyashov, expressed in his official blog solidarity with party leader Yulia Tymoshenko regarding the protection of workers' rights of Ukrainian citizens in connection with the adoption of the resonant bill No. 10147.

The politician is convinced that in wartime the state must be a reliable rear for every working Ukrainian. Instead, the norms of the new law, despite its loud name “On Safety and Health at Work,” in fact weaken social guarantees for those who work daily in high-risk conditions — miners, metallurgists, chemists, and pharmacists.

Economy in extremely difficult conditions

According to Serhiy Belyashov, the Batkivshchyna team consistently opposes worsening working conditions and narrowing the rights of hired workers in favor of big business. The party’s parliamentary faction did not give a single vote for this document, as it directly contradicts the Association Agreement with the EU (in particular, Article 296, which prohibits lowering the level of labor protection) and European directives.

“Our people today are holding the economic front in extremely difficult conditions. It is unacceptable to relieve employers of the responsibility to create safe working conditions or to limit the right of those injured at work to free medical care,” the team’s position, transmitted by Belyashov, states.

The head of the Poltava branch emphasized that the Batkivshchyna position is supported by 14 leading Ukrainian industry unions and the International Labour Organization. The party’s team at all levels, from the Verkhovna Rada to local councils in Poltava region, continues to be a reliable defender of social and labor rights for ordinary citizens.