YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s ministry of labor and social affairs, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia and the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia today signed the memorandum of the Decent Work national program.

The program must be implemented within 4 years.

Minister of labor and social affairs Zaruhi Batoyan told reporters that the program focuses on three priorities.

“The first priority is the regulation of working relations where we expect legislative reforms in accordance with international standards. The second one is the improvement of employment policy, in particular, creating equal opportunities for women, men and other vulnerable groups in the labor market. The third priority is the action directed for social priority which supposes strengthening of collective negotiations”, the minister said.

Regional director for Europe and Central Asia at the ILO Heinz Koller said decent work means work for which you receive a respective decent salary, good working conditions and social protection. “UN Conventions exist for reaching this, which need to be signed and ratified by the member states in order to be applied. This program aims at assisting the government to implement the conventions which have been signed by Armenia”, Heinz Koller said, adding that Decent Work is also a fight against child, forced labor and discrimination.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan