38 judges and lawyers from different regions of Ukraine deepened their knowledge of labour rights and the standards of the European Social Charter after completing the Council of Europe HELP tutored training course “Labour rights as human rights and introduction to the European Social Charter”.
The course lasted two months, concluding with a final event on 31 March 2025 in Kyiv to summarize the results and gather participant feedback.
Ms Olena Bilokon, a judge of the Civil Cassation Court of the Supreme Court, noted: “I sincerely thank you for the opportunity to join the meaningful and in-depth HELP course “Labour rights as human rights and introduction to the European Social Charter”. It is extremely important for a judge to stay up to date with modern legal trends and understand the European context of human rights protection and, in particular, labour rights. In this aspect, this course was an effective tool and reminded that behind every legal norm there is a real person whose voice must be heard. I would especially like to note the professional level of the tutors, the logical structure of the course, and the friendly atmosphere that was felt even in a remote format.”
Also, during the event, Ms Svitlana Zapara, First Deputy Head of the National Mediation and Conciliation Service, discussed with the participants the legal regulation of collective labour disputes in Ukraine and introduced the draft law of Ukraine “On Collective Labour Disputes”. Ms Olena Konovalova, Deputy Director of the Department of Labour of the State Labour Service of Ukraine, discussed with the participants the grounds for inspections of employers for violations in the labour sphere and their practical features under the martial law in Ukraine. The practical part of the event was devoted to solving modelled tasks.
The HELP tutored training course “Labour rights as human rights and introduction to the European Social Charter” has been adapted to the Ukrainian legal system and context by the national consultants of the Council of Europe:
- Ms Valentyna Malinovska, judge of the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv,
- Ms Victoriia Polishchuk, Head of the Labour Law Committee of the Ukrainian National Bar Association (UNBA) and Head of the Centre for Labour Law and Social Security of the UNBA Higher School of Advocacy,
- Ms Alla Fedorova, member of the European Committee of Social Rights.
The training was organised by the Council of Europe projects “HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) for Ukraine including during wartime” and “Enhanced social protection in Ukraine” in partnership with the National school of judges of Ukraine and the Higher School of Advocacy of UNBA.
The separate HELP courses “Labour rights as human rights” and “Introduction to the European Social Charter” can be also completed as self-study courses on the HELP Platform by every interested legal professional. New users have to create an account to access these courses or any of the 59 online courses developed by the Council of Europe, all available in a self-study format.
