BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 7
Trend:
Entrepreneurs should not commit unreasonable staff cuts because each redundancy leaves a whole family without a livelihood, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in his closing speech at the conference dedicated to the results of first year implementation of "The State Program on socio-economic development of the regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2019-2023", Trend reports.
“Entrepreneurs know what the rules are,” Ilham Aliyev said. “And they are very simple. It is necessary to build your work in accordance with law, conclude labor contracts and not exploit workers. I am told that workers are sometimes forced to work above the prescribed time. We have an eight-hour working day. No-one should work more than that. But in order to save more money, they are forced to work for 10, 12 or more hours. This must end and the Cabinet of Ministers must exercise control over that. It is necessary to hold a special meeting to discuss these issues. If such facts are committed, the entrepreneurs will be punished. I urge employees not to work without an employment contract.”
“I know that sometimes you are forced to do so,” the Azerbaijani president noted. “But you should also know that without an employment contract you will not be able to receive a pension and medical insurance tomorrow. Therefore, entrepreneurs must pay tax, comply with all legal requirements and be responsible. Well-to-do entrepreneurs must be aware of their social responsibility, of course. At the same time, they should not commit unreasonable staff cuts because each redundancy leaves a whole family without a livelihood. This cannot be done. Please note that the state is increasing the number of recipients of targeted social assistance. Despite the fact that poverty is at 4.8 percent, poor people in Azerbaijan do not wander around the streets, as in some cities.”
“Look at the cities of developed countries,” Ilham Aliyev added. “There are thousands of homeless people living in the capitals of the largest countries. They sleep either in boxes, on benches or in make-shift tents they set up for themselves. We see it on TV. Do we have this too? No! Why? Because the state takes care of its citizens. Although the number of unemployed and poor people in Azerbaijan is getting smaller, I have instructed to increase the number of recipients of targeted social assistance. To do this, new criteria must be applied so that there are no poor people in our country.”
“If an entrepreneur wants to earn 5 manats more, he fires a person,” the Azerbaijani president said. “This is unacceptable. If there are such facts, do let me know and we will talk to these entrepreneurs the way they deserve. Therefore, there should be responsibility to the state, people and law.”