Employer in Turkmenistan

An employment relationship combines personal paid work with the employee's subordination to the employer's internal workplace rules. The employer may conclude, change and terminate employment contracts, issue lawful instructions, set a probation period, reward employees and pursue disciplinary or material liability where the law allows. Internal rules normally cover hiring, dismissal, duties, working time, rest periods, leave, incentives and sanctions. Special rules apply to state service, military, police, security, justice, customs and diplomatic organisations. A hiring process usually includes an application, an employment contract and an employer's hiring order. Actual work with the employer's knowledge or instruction can also establish the relationship. The hiring order should be issued no later than three calendar days after work begins. The employer must explain the work, conditions, pay, rights and duties, any collective agreement, internal rules and occupational safety requirements. Typical documents include identification, a military record where applicable, the employment record book, education or qualification evidence and any required medical certificate. The employer may not demand documents outside those allowed by the Labour Code. An unjustified refusal to hire is prohibited, and the applicant can request a written reason within three days. A fixed-term contract may last up to five years. A probation period may normally last up to three months and up to six months for heads of organisations, their deputies and chief accountants. Probation is excluded for several groups, including minors, people with disabilities, seasonal or temporary workers, pregnant women, women with children and employees transferred from another position. The state Employment Service, including its velayat, city and etrap units, registers jobseekers, records vacancies, provides matching services, organises paid public work and monitors employment law. Employers report vacancies, changes to part-time work and training results. Information about hiring or refusing a candidate referred through the service should be provided within five working days. State placement is free for employers; private placement may charge a fee, and overseas placement requires a licence. Employment of foreign workers is subject to quotas and Cabinet rules. In 2026, the Population Employment Portal supports digital vacancy and insurance-contribution reporting for companies of all ownership forms, state institutions and individual entrepreneurs. Employers must provide the agreed working conditions, apply equal pay for work of equal value, explain wages and deductions, record each employee's actual working time, protect personnel, payroll and employment-book data, provide social and medical services where required, arrange pension insurance and implement orders from competent authorities. The normal maximum working week is 40 hours. The limit is 36 hours for hazardous work and for employees aged 16 to 18, and 24 hours for employees under 16. The basic annual leave entitlement is 30 calendar days. Employees with disabilities and employees in teaching or educational-management roles receive 45 days. Leave is generally first available after 11 months of work; its start should be announced at least 15 days in advance and holiday pay should be paid at least one day before leave begins. Wages are paid at least twice a month. A statutory minimum-wage floor applies, but the currently verified amount is not established in the available research. Final settlement is due on the termination date or, after a claim, no later than the following day. The employer carries responsibility for occupational safety. This includes safe buildings, machinery and work processes; personal and collective protective equipment; special clothing; hygiene and decontamination materials; training, instruction, induction, knowledge testing and first-aid preparation. Employees may not perform work requiring instruction or a medical examination until those requirements have been met. Employers must arrange workplace certification and use conformity-certified hazardous equipment and materials. Preliminary and periodic medical examinations at the employer's expense apply to groups such as employees under 18, men from age 62, women from age 57, people with disabilities and workers in hazardous, night, transport, healthcare, food, trade or education work. A production operation with more than 50 employees must have an occupational-safety service or specialist. An occupational-safety commission includes employer, employee and trade-union representatives on an equal basis. The employer must investigate and register workplace accidents, with an accident report prepared within three days after the investigation ends. Occupational safety is financed from the employer's own funds and state or extra-budgetary funds where applicable. An employee may refuse work where a confirmed immediate danger to life or health exists. The employer can be liable for damage caused by an occupational injury or disease, including continuing payments and additional costs; violations may also lead to disciplinary, financial, administrative or criminal consequences. A профсоюз, or trade union, is a voluntary independent public organisation. Primary organisations commonly operate at workplaces, with sectoral and territorial associations above them. Registration is handled by the Ministry of Adalat; a decision is due within one month and notice follows within three working days, while the registration fee is required but its amount is not established here. Employers must conduct collective negotiations, provide complete information, permit access to workplaces and create conditions for trade-union work. Trade unions may participate in collective agreements, occupational-safety monitoring, accident investigations and disputes. Termination by the employer generally requires prior approval from the trade union or another employee representative, subject to statutory exceptions. Redundancy also requires consultation with the employee representative at least two months in advance. Employers must give written notice at least one month before changing employment conditions. The employee's request concerning such a change should be reviewed within three days. A change may not worsen conditions compared with the collective agreement. A substantial transfer normally requires the employee's written consent, although production needs can permit a temporary transfer of up to one month without consent; an agreement can allow up to three months per year. When ownership changes, employment contracts for other employees remain in force, while special rules apply to heads, deputies and chief accountants. During reorganisation, the collective agreement remains effective. Liquidation, staff reduction or changes in technology or work organisation require at least two months' written notice, consultation with employee representatives and notification to the local employment body. The employer should examine alternative work, apply qualification and productivity first in selection, use statutory priority groups in a tie and pay the Labour Code severance amount; liquidation or reduction includes at least two weeks of average wages. Individual disputes may proceed through a labour-dispute commission, a workplace trade-union body or a court. In an enterprise with at least 15 employees, a labour-dispute commission is generally the first formal body after direct negotiations fail. Its decision may be challenged within 10 days and is implemented three days after that period expires. A trade-union decision can also be challenged in court within 10 days. Employees do not pay court fees for labour claims, and an unlawful dismissal can lead to reinstatement and average wages for up to one year. Collective disputes may concern wages, conditions, collective agreements or representation rights. The employer must examine an employee demand and decide within three working days, while a demand from a trade union or employer association requires an answer within one month. A conciliation commission must then be formed within three working days with equal representation; it receives premises and resources from the employer and should decide within seven working days before the matter can proceed to court.