Pauses in exemption from military service threaten companies with loss of critical employees - NV
It will be impossible to exempt an employee in the next three weeks as Ukraine continues to audit critical enterprises. But that's not all: after November 15, companies may lose the right to exempt employees, and the military exemption procedure may change. And while this pause lasts, companies risk facing production disruptions and the loss of critical employees.
This is reported by NV, Censor.NET reports.
The publication reminded that an enterprise can be granted the status of "critical for the functioning of the economy" after approval by the regional military administration (RMA) or the ministry responsible for business. The rules are set out in Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 76, approved in January 2023. But when they started auditing companies, they immediately began to record violations.
"An NV Business source familiar with the exemption situation says that roadside cafes and restaurants have been granted critical status, and 20 cooks are exempted there. But most of the violations relate to the level of wages: when an enterprise submits documents, it indicates a large salary. And as soon as they get the right status, they start paying the minimum wage," he explains the reasons for the audit. He adds that in the first days, about 40,000 conscripts have already been identified as having been exempted with violations," the publication points out.
But while officials are studying the papers, businesses have faced a problem: it is now impossible to extend the exemption until November 15. "Businesses are afraid that the TCR will simply stand at the entrance and mobilize most of the employees, as their 'critical' status has expired.
All work will stop," a representative of an industry association, who asked not to be named, told NV Business.
In July, the ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) faced a similar problem: it announced massive inspections of the TCR near the enterprise, which caused disruptions in production.
"The NGO All-Ukrainian Agrarian Forum (AUAF) and the Ukrainian Union of Lessors called on Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to unblock the exemptions of employees of these sectors of the economy. "Many exemptions that expired in October do not have the technical ability to be reexempted. This jeopardizes the continuity of agricultural enterprises under martial law," the AUAF said.
The Federation of Employers, in turn, has asked First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko to automatically extend the existing exemptions and deferrals from military service for two months to prevent a collapse in the current exemption system.
"In informal conversations, business representatives say they expect the exemption procedure to resume after November 15. If the process is delayed, companies may lose key employees and this will threaten their stable operation," the publication concludes.
Earlier, Ukrainian business associations called on the President to resume the military exemption process at the ministerial level as soon as possible, as, according to available data, local administrations have been speculating on which companies are critical. Meanwhile, a pause in the exemption process could bring the economy to a complete standstill and lead to catastrophic consequences.
