Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Protection: on social partnership in the Vitebsk region

As of January 1, 2022, there are 99 local agreements in force in the Vitebsk region (11 at the regional level, 88 at the district (city) level), and over 3.3 thousand organizations have concluded (or have in force) collective agreements. The coverage of labor relations by collective agreement regulation in the region's economy is 90.7 percent.

Alongside the regional trilateral agreement, 10 regional tariff, 65 district and city sectoral agreements, and 23 local agreements are an important link in the social partnership system.

On February 25, 2022, the social partners – the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, the Vitebsk Regional Union of Employers, and the Vitebsk Regional Trade Union Federation – decided to extend the term of the trilateral agreement concluded between them for 2019–2021 until 2024.

In addition, a number of adjustments have been made to the Agreement due to changes in legislation regulating the socio-labor sphere and program documents for socio-economic development for the current five-year period.

The agreement prioritizes the observance of socio-economic rights of employees, labor protection, guarantees of enterprise efficiency, labor market development, and employment promotion.

Additional guarantees for employees provided by the trilateral Agreement, which serves as the basis for tariff and local agreements and collective agreements, are in effect without exception and in full.

Within the framework of the trilateral agreement implementation, the parties will continue cooperation on developing the social partnership system, enhancing its effectiveness, and improving the level of social protection for employees.