cherikovnews.by October 3, 2026 11:55 An employee of a communal enterprise was reinstated to her previous position after appealing to the Belarusian Trade Union of Workers of Housing and Communal Services and the Service Sector, as reported by the press service of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus.

The reason for her dismissal was a change in the essential conditions of her employment. The employee worked a shift schedule of 12 hours, two days on and two days off, but the employer proposed changing her work schedule to a five-day workweek. The woman did not agree to this change, and as a result, she was offered a demotion. The employee believed that the change in her work schedule was not related to real production, organizational, or economic reasons, and she appealed to the trade union.

The chief legal labor inspector of the trade union, Natalia Grishkova, explained that justified reasons for changing essential employment conditions may include the rationalization and improvement of workplaces, changes in technology and production techniques, structural reorganization, and the introduction of new forms of labor organization. "In the absence of evidence confirming the presence of justified production, organizational, or economic reasons for changing the essential employment conditions of a specific employee, the dismissal of the employee on this basis cannot be considered lawful," she noted.

The lawyer helped the employee prepare the necessary procedural documents and represented her interests in court. The representative of the enterprise did not recognize the plaintiff's claims. After examining the case materials, hearing the parties, witnesses, and the prosecutor's conclusion, the court came to the conclusion that evidence of the presence of justified production, organizational, or economic reasons for changing the essential employment conditions was not provided.

As a result, the employee's claims were satisfied. She was reinstated to her previous position and under the previous conditions. Additionally, the enterprise was ordered to pay her average earnings for the period of forced absence from work, amounting to approximately 1,600 rubles, and 700 rubles as compensation for moral damages. As noted by the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, in similar labor disputes, the burden of proving the presence of justified reasons for changing essential employment conditions lies with the employer.

BELTA