Rethinking the Non-resilience of Trade Unions in Armenia: How to Protect Social Rights and Freedoms of Workers?

Abstract

This article analyzes the non-resilience nature of the social partnership of labor relations in Armenia after the Velvet Revolution and the legitimate change of public authority in 2018. Reimagining the agenda of European integration, democratization and anti-corruption policies implies strengthening the social dimension of trade unions and effectively protecting the social rights and freedoms of workers and their labor interests. The civiliarchic significance of social partnership in post-revolutionary Armenia should help reduce social inequality among social groups and strata, as well as develop a dialogue between business and labor. The result of social dialogue should be a gradual improvement in the quality of life and humanization of labor relations, as well as a civilized resolution of social conflicts. Particular attention in the article is paid to the legal and legitimate dimensions of social partnership in labor relations of the post-revolutionary Armenian society. In this sense, the article analyzes the Constitution, legal norms, national legislation, public authorities, European and international governmental organizations and their conventions and resolutions, through the effective implementation of which the new government has tried to ensure the rule of law since 2018, thereby minimizing informal norms of labor behavior, shadow economy and employment.

Keywords

• resilience
• non-resilience
• trade unions
• social partnership
• social dialogue
• Armenia