The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) of the Council of Europe has released its 2025 report, stating that labor rights are systematically violated in Armenia, Panorama.am reports.
According to the Council of Europe, the legal assessments of member states that have joined the European Social Charter reveal significant gaps in the protection of the rights the Charter guarantees in many countries.
In the 2025 report, the committee reviewed Armenia’s compliance with several key articles of the European Social Charter, including:
Article 2 – Right to just conditions of work
- Section 1 – Reasonable working hours
Article 3 – Right to safe and healthy working conditions
- Section 1 – Regulations ensuring health and safety at work
Article 4 – Right to fair remuneration
- Section 3 – Guarantee of equal pay for women and men
Article 5 – Right to organize
Article 6 – Right to bargain collectively
- Section 1 – Joint consultations
- Section 2 – Negotiation procedures
- Section 4 – Right to collective action
Article 20 – Right to equal opportunities and treatment in employment and occupation without discrimination based on sex
The committee concluded that Armenia’s legal and practical situation fails to meet the Charter’s standards in all these areas. A total of eight violations were recorded, with no area found to be in full compliance.
Despite some isolated improvements, Council of Europe experts expressed concern that the effective protection of labor rights under the European Social Charter remains problematic in many countries.
The report highlighted excessive working hours and gender-based pay disparities as key challenges.
The ECSR reviewed the situation in around thirty countries, including Andorra, Azerbaijan, Austria, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Luxembourg, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
