Awareness of how disastrous the situation for Ukrainian workers would be in if labour relations were governed by Laws 5161 and 5371 continues to grow, as shown in the growing support for this petition, initiated by the European Network for Solidarity with Ukraine (ENSU).

Yet, despite that opposition, and the unanimous opposition of Ukraine’s trade unions (see previous update), president Zelenskyy ratified Law 5161 on August 6.

Law 5161 is bad enough—it intoduces into Ukraine the “zero hour” contracts that are the basis of the casualised “gig economy” in which mainly young workers sweat for a pittance.

But Law 5371 is even worse, and threatens to rob up to 93% of Ukrainian workers of trade union protection (again, see previous update).

That prospect should make us redouble our efforts to pressure Zelenskyy to veto this bill.

Since our last update the following union and political figures have added their support for the call on Zelenskyy to exercise his veto:

• Pierre-Yves Maillard, President of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions  and MP for the Swiss Socialist Party in the National Council (federal parliament).
• Pierre Vanek, member of Geneva's parliament, former Swiss national MP and president of  the retired members association of the UNIA trade union in Geneva
• Christoph Waelz, Chairman of the District Association Berlin Pankow of the German Education Union, and
• Tassos Anastassiadas, member of the General Council of the Greek Federation of Journalists (POESY).

In addition, Poland’s largest trade union peak body, the All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions (OPZZ in its Polish initials), recently informed ENSU that its had “sent a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the presidential veto of the recently passed controversial bills No. 5371 and 5161, as well as the ETUC-PERC-ITUC Joint Letter on Ukraine sent to EU leaders, in which they were strongly criticized by Ukrainian and international trade unions.”

From the Philippines, the  Party of the Labouring Masses has also joined the call for Zelenskyy to veto the anti-worker legislation.

With Zelenskyy still to ratify Law 5371, ENSU urges all those who have already signed the petition to broadcast it through their networks, calling on all supporters of labour rights to sign the petition and then pass it on through  their own networks.
 
When this work is done, the number of signatories jumps—anyone who supports basic labour rights signs as soon as they become aware of what is at stake.
 
The more pressure we can exercise for a presidential veto, the more Zelenskyy will hesitate to ratify Law 5371, which atomises the labour rights of all Ukrainian workers.