The government has finalised changes to the system for granting workers exemptions from mobilisation. The criteria for designating companies as critical will be separated from economic indicators, and a separate mechanism is being prepared for firms that need to exempt all employees.
This was reported by Ukraine’s Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi.
“The main task is fair and clear rules for everyone working on the home front, and above all for those who are fighting,” he said.
According to the head of government, the number of exempted workers increases by tens of thousands every month. At the same time, he stressed that people who have been defending the country for a fifth year must have the opportunity to return home from service.
According to Koretskyi, the sectors that should be considered critically important are those that support defence and the economy: the defence-industrial complex, energy, communications, logistics, housing and communal services, and others.
“Nothing will change for them. At the same time, sectoral and regional criteria for criticality will be updated and checked for abuse,” the Prime Minister said.
The maximum level of exemptions, including for the energy sector and the defence-industrial complex, will no longer be 100%.
“Unconditional full exemptions are unfair to those who are serving and create room for abuse. There were companies created specifically to obtain exemptions, and it became a business,” Koretskyi said.
At the same time, he stressed that the work of enterprises that produce weapons or support critical infrastructure will not be weakened.
“If uninterrupted operations require more exemptions, the enterprise will be able to submit a substantiated request to the Coordination Centre,” the Prime Minister explained.
Another change is the introduction of a full-exemption mechanism for enterprises that will fulfil a mobilisation obligation.
“An enterprise will be able to exempt all employees if it regularly and voluntarily assigns some of them to military service. It is essential that a person knows where they are going and for how long. Their job and salary will be retained,” Koretskyi said.
The terms of this mechanism will be developed by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Economy together with business. The government plans to approve it by 1 December.
In addition, the Ministry of Defence is tightening liability for evading military service. According to the Prime Minister, the rules must be the same for everyone.
Koretskyi stressed that the new measures do not envisage tightening mobilisation the very next day.
“They are needed first and foremost to bring order to the exemption system and eradicate abuses,” he explained.
According to the Prime Minister, the changes should give service members confidence that rotation will be possible, and give those joining the service an understanding of a clearly defined term.
“The ultimate goal is that no one is looking for anyone on the streets. There must be a clear system in which everyone knows their rights and obligations,” Koretskyi concluded.
At the same time, he noted that Ukraine must be prepared for any developments, including a ramp-up of mobilisation in Russia.