International experience of legal regulation of minors and the possibility of its implementation in the labor legislation of Ukraine

Abstract

The article considers the international experience of legal regulation of the labor of minors and identifies promising areas for improving the current labor legislation of Ukraine in the field of the work of minors. In particular, the authors studied the labor legislation of the Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovak, and Estonian Republics, Great Britain, and the provinces of Canada (Alberta and Manitoba).
 As you know, the regulation of the labor of minors has certain features both in Ukraine and other countries, given their physiological characteristics and lack of experience. The minimum age for employment, hazardous and prohibited types of work, working hours, wages, days off and vacations, types of work permits for minors (light types of work), and liability for violation of the requirements of labor legislation on the adoption to work and the peculiarities of ensuring the labor activity of minors.
 Based on the study, it was revealed that the current labor legislation of Ukraine requires the improvement of the regulation of the labor of minors in the context of social changes. Thus, the types of activities where it is allowed to use the labor of minors are not regulated; there is no definition of the term “easy work for minors,” and the possibility of labor of persons under 14 years of age is not regulated, and the legal liability of employers for violating the requirements for hiring and the specifics of the work of minors is imperfectly defined. In general, the current Labor Code of Ukraine includes provisions for the regulation of the labor of minors, consistent with the standards adopted in other countries. Also, the authors have developed directions for improving the current labor legislation of Ukraine on the labor of minors, which in the future should protect minors from ignoring employers of the fixed requirements for hiring and the characteristics of the work of such a category of persons and protect them from further violations of labor legislation, as well as help to realize the right for the work of persons under 14 years of age who seek to earn independently in certain areas of activity.