Living in Uzbekistan

Labor System

Employment of nationals and foreign citizens in Uzbekistan is regulated by the Labor Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Labor relations are regulated by collective agreements and individual employment contracts. Employment contracts must meet the standards prescribed by Uzbek law. Written employment contracts are compulsory and are usually valid for an unlimited period. Fixed-term contracts, either for five years or less, or for the duration of a project, are possible under certain conditions.

Notice of dismissal under a fixed-term contract must be provided no later than one week after the last day of the contract, otherwise the contract will be regarded as having been confirmed and the appointment made permanent. Employees are protected against instant dismissal, except in cases of drunkenness, theft and "immoral activity". Dismissal for other reasons, such as incompetence, must be preceded by a history of under-performance and a minimum of three reprimands. It is recommended that job descriptions be given to all staff, and that they be informed of the disciplinary procedures in force at the enterprise.

Foreign and local companies may hire employees directly, without using employment or recruitment agencies.

Work Books

Uzbek nationals must provide an employer with a workbook containing personal details and a record of their past and current work history. The workbook is issued for determining the amount to be paid from the State Social Insurance Fund for an employee’s temporary illness or disability and for determining an employee's rights to a state pension. If an employee does not have a workbook, the employer must provide him with a new one within five days of commencing employment.

Probationary Period

An employment contract may include the probationary period, which shall not exceed three months during which an employee may be dismissed without reason.

Working Week

The regular working week is 40 hours. Overtime work may be allowed only with the employee's consent. There are certain categories of work where overtime work is not permissible. Overtime work may not exceed four hours within two days and 120 hours per year. Overtime work must be compensated at a rate of at least 200% of the employee's regular wage.

Holidays

There are nine official public holidays:

• New Year - January 1
• International Women’s Day - March 8
• Navruz - March 21
• Memorial Day - May 9
• Independence Day - September 1
• Tutor’s and Teacher’s Day - October 1
• Constitution Day - December 8
• Iyd Al-Fitr (religious holiday) – date varies
• Iyd Al-Adha (religious holiday) – date varies

The minimum paid annual vacation is 15 working days. Certain categories of employees (underage workers, working disabled employees) may receive extended paid annual vacation of up to 30 working days.

Sick Leave

An employer is not obliged to pay for an employee’s leave of absence due to temporary illness or disability. The employee is paid from the State Social Insurance Fund in amounts varying from 75% to 100% of the employee’s wage.

Maternity Leave

 Leaves on maternity shall be given for women by length of seventy calendar days up to child birth and fifty six (in case of a complicated delivery or at birth of two or more children - seventy) calendar days after birth with payment of a grant on the state social insurance.

Leave on maternity shall be estimated totally and shall be given to a woman completely regardless of number of days used actually up to birth.

 Cost of Employment

Uzbekistan enterprises must pay their Uzbek employees in UZS. The minimum wage should not be less than the salary minimum set by the Uzbek government.

Foreign Workers in Uzbekistan

Companies with foreign employees in Uzbekistan must obtain a foreign labor license from the Agency on Foreign Labor Migration Issues (the "Agency"). A licensed company must also obtain a work permit (confirmation) from the Agency for each foreign employee.

The Agency should issue a foreign labor license within 30 days from the date of submission of all required documents.

The procedure for issuing work permits for foreign employees is similar to the procedure for obtaining foreign labor licenses.

A foreign labor license and/or employee's work permit are valid for no more than one year. The fee for a foreign labor license is 10 times the minimum monthly wage. There is no fee for an employee's work permit.

Foreigners working in representative offices are excluded from the foreign labor license and work permit requirements. But each foreigner working in a representative office must obtain an individual accreditation card from the Ministry for foreign economic relations, investments and trade.