Age discrimination in the labor market will be prohibited by law

Employers will no longer have the right to indicate age limitations in job declarations as this will be banned by law. It was debated in the RA National Assembly and adopted in the first reading (the bill submitted by MP Tigran Urikhanyan, proposing to make an amendment to the RA Labor Code, stating that “the age of the employee can not be a legitimate prohibition or reason not to sign a labor contract, other cases regulated by laws. ”

According to Urikhanyan, public order forced him addressing this issue  for years, as during meetings with citizens, he heard that citizens are having serious problems after 30, 35 and especially 45 years of age.

The MP noted that there are concerns that if the proposed provision is adopted, the control mechanisms are not enough, but he has an answer. In other words, the relevant body or ministries that previously carried out the functions of the labor inspection should be consistent, or maybe a new structure to which the oversight authority should be reserved.

However, there is one more important circumstance to which the author of the project drew the attention of the partners – this restriction would allow to challenge employers’ decisions in all cases in court, whereas so far there is no such possibility as such request was not imperialized.

Tigranyan also pointed out that since 2005, there has been no provision in the Labor Code that prohibits discrimination, which has enabled employers not only to employ but also to apply discriminatory regulations during their employment relationships.

In the end he informed that the commission had given a positive conclusion to the bill and called for voting. The bill was adopted in the first reading with the following ratios:for –  93, against 6, abstentions – 9.