Cabinet submits new Labor Code draft to Rada again

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has re-submitted the draft of a new Labor Code to the Verkhovna Rada. The document was registered on September 2 under No. 16010. The previous government draft on labor law reform was withdrawn in July and removed from consideration.

According to the bill's card on the Verkhovna Rada website, the initiator of the new document is the Cabinet of Ministers, and Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi is indicated as the government representative. On September 2, the draft was received by the parliament and handed over to the leadership for consideration.

At the same time, the text of bill No. 16010 and accompanying documents were not yet available on the parliamentary card at the time of publication. Therefore, it is not yet known to what extent the new version differs from the previous draft Labor Code.

Previous draft was removed from consideration in July

The first version of the reform was submitted by the Cabinet to the parliament on January 15, 2026, under No. 14386. The bill managed to pass review in committees and was included in the Verkhovna Rada agenda. The relevant committee recommended adopting it as a basis. However, on July 16, the document was withdrawn and removed from consideration.

That draft was supposed to comprehensively replace the current Code of Labor Laws, the basis of which was adopted back in 1971. The government explained the need for reform by outdated norms, changes in the labor market structure, and the need to bring Ukrainian legislation in line with European and international standards.

The previous version proposed to regulate modern forms of employment, including remote, home-based, seasonal work, work with non-fixed hours, and temporary agency employment. It also provided for apprenticeship employment contracts and separate rules for domestic workers.

One of the key ideas was a clearer definition of labor relations. The draft contained eight characteristics of such relations: if at least five of them were present, the relations were to be recognized as labor relations regardless of the name of the contract between an individual and an employer. The government hoped that this mechanism would help combat informal and hidden employment.

Minimum wage wanted to be tied to average wage

The previous draft also provided for a new approach to determining the minimum wage. Instead of relying mainly on projected macroeconomic indicators, it was proposed to link it to the average wage in the country and set it as a certain share of the average wage level.

The Ministry of Economy explained that such a principle should bring Ukrainian legislation closer to European norms. At the same time, the draft regulated written and electronic employment contracts, working hours, vacations, resolution of labor conflicts, and worker safety issues.

The government stated that one of the goals of the reform was to simultaneously reduce legal uncertainty for employers and strengthen guarantees for workers. A significant part of the provisions of the previous draft, according to the Ministry of Economy, was discussed with representatives of employers and trade unions.

Which of these provisions have been preserved in the new bill No. 16010 will become known after the publication of its text and comparative documentation. Until then, it is correct to speak only of the re-initiation of the parliamentary procedure for labor law reform, rather than the adoption of new rules for workers.

Based on materials from: Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, previous draft No. 14386, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine