Employees can now file anonymous complaints about their violated rights. On 22 December, the presentation of the EmployeeProtect.am system for registration, acceptance and examination of anonymous applications by employees on their rights took place.

This platform has been created based on the Bizprotect.am electronic platform as a unique tool for raising issues (including anonymous ones) in the business sphere, which has been launched and is operated by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association.

“We are announcing 2021 as the year of improving the control over the labor rights by the RA Health and Labor Inspectorate. In the main points of our action plan, we have confirmed that it will be with the introduction of information technologies.

By introducing an electronic platform for complaints, we aim to increase trust in the inspection body, create conditions for complainants to make it more convenient for them to present labor right issues to the inspection body. And thirdly, which is very important for me: to have clearer statistics on the complaints and their types,” Mr. Hakob Avagyan, the Head of the RA Health and Labor Inspectorate said.

Ms Marine Malkhasyan, UNDP Programme Manager, thanked the RA Health and Labor Inspectorate for coming up with such an important initiative. “The protection of the right to work is a very important direction for us. Very good work has been done by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association and its partner. The created platform will play a great role in the protection of workers’ rights. I think this is the basis and the beginning of cooperation with the inspection body and the government on this issue. In this regard, it will be necessary to continuously organize the awareness-raising activities of the platform, as well as to create an opportunity to use artificial intelligence on the platform to provide advice to employees on their rights,” she said.

Mr. Narek Zeynalyan, Chair of the Standing Committee on Health Care and Social Affairs noted that if problems arise during the launch of the labor rights protection platform, which will need additional legislative regulations, they are always ready for discussions in the National Assembly.

According to Mr. Ruben Sargsyan, the First Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, the EmployeeProtect.am system is a powerful tool that brings a new culture to the field. “We have not had such a culture for several years that the employee will apply or cooperate with a state body if he has a problem. The platform is important not only for raising issues, filing complaints, but also for identifying legal gaps. This is one of the priorities for our ministry, according to which we will be able to modernize and amend the RA Labor Code,” the Deputy Minister said.

“This platform will provide opportunity to noticeably facilitate the daily life of people who have complaints about labor relations,” Mr. Artur Asoyan, the Head Inspection Bodies’ Coordination Bureau at the RA Prime Minister’s Office, mentioned in his speech.

“Taking into account the possibility of receiving and processing anonymous complaints, in the course of further work, we will understand the degree of efficiency and make some necessary changes as needed, as there is also a business interest and all activities must be balanced. I am sure that in the near future we will also introduce electronic platforms for receiving similar complaints in other inspection bodies,” Artur Asoyan said.

Mr. Karen Zadoyan, President of the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, presented in detail the electronic platform for the protection of labor rights, noting all its features and opportunities.

“In 2016, when our proposal laid the basis for anti-corruption reforms by the government, we also raised the whistleblowers protection issue, because we know people are afraid to report violations and corruption. Studying the international experience, together with our government partners, we thought of creating an opportunity to submit anonymous applications so that those who raised the issue would avoid retaliation. The RA Law “On the whistle-blowing system” was adopted, where the azdararir.am website was envisaged and created. Prior to the launch of that website, the Armenian Lawyers’ Association and its partners created and launched bizprotect.am website on a probation basis, which provided an opportunity to submit anonymous applications on business issues and corruption cases. We have used that experience and lessons learned for the creation of the electronic platform for the protection of labor rights.”

Karen Zadoyan noted that the electronic platform is an institutional tool for the protection of labor rights and solves 3 important problems:

• Possibility to file complaints about labor rights violations in anonymous and personally identifiable formats,
• Possibility of access to advice and information in the field of the protection of labor rights,
• Possibility to identify gaps in labor legislation through feedback and initiate reforms.

The electronic platform for the protection of labor rights will consist of a website and mobile applications.

The site is expected to launch in January 2021, and the mobile applications will be available in February.