On April 22, 2021, a meeting was held between representatives of the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations, responsible officials of the UK’s Foreign Office and specialists of the World Bank. The agenda of the meeting was discussing issues related to labor standards, norms of labor and the new version of the Labor Code. During the meeting, British Ambassador to Uzbekistan His Excellency Mr. T.Torlot highly appreciated the work done in the field of developing the new version of the Labor Code, noting that this work on the part of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations deserves deep respect. 

In turn, William Zayts, the World Bank's chief expert on poverty and equality, provided a detailed commentary on the innovations. So he stressed that the draft Labor Code of the new edition used advanced international standards in the field of labor. According to his report, the Ministry paid special attention to increasing the elements of social protection, the quality of theirs implementation and mechanisms for their provision, prevention of discrimination in the field of labor, in particular, ensuring equal rights and opportunities for men and women in the implementation of labor activities and corresponding incentives for work done and other details that will raise the level of labor relations to a qualitatively new level.

  Taking into account the scope and volume of the ongoing reforms, in order to improve the efficiency of the tasks assigned to employees in the field of labor, Adviser to the Minister Ms. E.Gorbunova asked the foreign side to consider the possibility of attracting international experts in the development of trainings and seminars in order to organize a coaching course for the subsequent use of an organization subordinate to the Ministry of Labor to improve the skills of employees of labor authorities in order to improve the skills of all employees in the field of labor, taking into account the changes in the Labor Code in the new version and best international practices in the field of labor.

At the same time, the head of the Department of Labor Standards and Remuneration A. Navotny noted that in order to improve the effectiveness of the application of the Labor Code in the new version, it would be advisable to study the methodology for setting labor standards from fellow experts of the international union, as well as to strengthen the scientific base in the field of labor among Uzbek experts by increasing meetings and organizing various events for the exchange of knowledge and experience.

At the end of the conversation, the parties discussed the high productivity of the meeting and came to an agreement on deepening cooperation not only with regard to the new version of the Labor Code, but also in other issues that will contribute to the comprehensive development of the labor sphere in Uzbekistan.