In Uzbekistan, cases of compulsory involvement of employees in population registration activities outside working hours by some local government authorities have been identified. According to the Labor Inspectorate, such work has been carried out in some places under the name of "mandatory assignment."
According to the results of the inspections, official warning letters have been sent to the khokimiyats of Bukhara city and Oltynkol, Asaka, and Marhamat districts. Furthermore, a proposal has been submitted to the Andijan regional khokimiyat to eliminate the identified legal violations.
As emphasized by the Labor Inspectorate, involving an employee in labor outside working hours without their consent, based on various pressures or official assignments, is considered forced labor and contradicts current legal requirements. The fact that such cases are being committed by state authorities is causing serious concern.
The Inspectorate emphasizes that work outside working hours can only be carried out based on the voluntary consent of the employee. In this case, payment must be made in accordance with Article 262 of the Labor Code. According to the law, for the first two hours, at least 1.5 times the rate, and for hours beyond that, at least 2 times the rate of the labor wage must be paid.
