Ukraine may change rules for booking employees: MP warns of risk of mass layoffs

Ukraine is preparing possible changes to the rules for reserving military personnel for critical enterprises. Business representatives fear that the innovations could lead to staff reductions, a shortage of qualified personnel, and disruptions in the work of enterprises.

This was reported by SPEKA with reference to the European Business Association (EBA) and MP Oleksandr Fedienko.

What changes to the reservation are proposed

According to preliminary information, the government is considering revising the current mechanism for reserving employees.

Among the potential innovations:

Reducing the reservation limits for certain categories of critical enterprises.

Changing the procedure for calculating the number of employees that an employer can reserve.

Revising the procedure for confirming the status of a critical enterprise.

The European Business Association emphasizes that the official text of the proposed changes has not yet been published, so it is impossible to finally assess their impact.

At the same time, businesses are already expressing concern about the possible tightening of restrictions against the backdrop of a shortage of personnel, the destruction of energy infrastructure, and the increase in operating costs.

Why employees with a deferral may begin to be fired

People’s Deputy Oleksandr Fediyenko drew attention to one of the possible changes to the Cabinet of Ministers’ Resolution No. 76.

According to him, currently employees who have a personal deferral from mobilization are taken into account when determining the total number of employees at an enterprise at one place of work.

Instead, the proposed changes may provide for the exclusion of such persons from calculating the reservation quota.

This means that employees who already have a legal deferral will no longer affect the number of other employees that the enterprise can reserve.

According to the deputy, such a norm may create economic incentives for employers to reduce employees with a deferral.

“Now a situation may arise where employers may dismiss employees if they stop giving quotas to other employees,” Fedienko noted.

In particular, the changes may affect enterprises where parents with many children, students and other categories of military conscripts who have legal grounds for deferment work.

At the same time, the presence of a personal deferment in itself is not a legal basis for dismissing an employee.

Business warns of threat to critical infrastructure

The European Business Association notes that Ukrainian enterprises are already facing a shortage of qualified specialists, power and water supply interruptions, security risks and increased operating costs.

Further restrictions on booking opportunities, according to business representatives, may negatively affect production processes, contract execution and tax revenues.

The situation at enterprises that ensure the functioning of critical infrastructure is of particular concern.

What business and MPs are proposing

The European Business Association has called on the Cabinet of Ministers to hold open consultations with business representatives before adopting any changes.

The association insists on the need to publish the draft document and assess its possible economic and social consequences.

In turn, Oleksandr Fedienko proposed focusing on strengthening control over compliance with the current reservation rules, rather than introducing restrictions that could negatively affect the labor market.

Among the possible measures, the MP mentioned the deprivation of enterprises of the status of critical importance in case of abuses.

Recall that previously, enterprises had to extend or re-obtain the status of critical importance by September 1, 2026 in accordance with the updated government requirements.

The proposed changes have not yet entered into force. The final reservation rules will depend on the decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers and the official publication of the relevant regulatory acts.