Labor law in Turkmenistan

Employment in Turkmenistan is generally governed by the Labor Code, including when the parties describe their arrangement as a civil-law contract but the work is actually dependent employment. Employees have rights to choose a profession and workplace freely, receive equal pay, work in safe conditions and obtain protection against unemployment. Discrimination based on nationality, race, sex, origin, status, place of residence, language, age, religion, political opinion or party status is prohibited. Local workplace rules and collective agreements may provide more protection but may not reduce statutory minimum guarantees. An employment relationship may be open-ended or fixed-term. A fixed-term contract normally may last no more than five years and requires a legally or factually permitted reason, such as replacing an absent employee, seasonal work, work abroad, a project, or employment by a small or private employer. An unjustified fixed term can be treated as an open-ended relationship. The employer generally issues an employment order on the basis of a written application; a private employer and employee conclude a written contract. An actual start of work can establish the employment relationship, after which the order should be issued within three calendar days. The employee may need identification, a military document, a трудовая книжка (employment record book), qualification evidence and, where required, medical documents. The employer must provide the order for review within three days. Probation normally cannot exceed three months, or six months for management positions, and is excluded for several groups, including people under 18, pregnant employees, employees with disabilities, parents of a child under three, and seasonal or temporary workers. The normal minimum age for an employment contract is 18. Younger workers may be employed only in narrowly defined situations, with the required consent of the minor, parent or guardian and guardianship authority. Workers under 16 may work no more than 24 hours per week, while workers aged 16 to 18 may work no more than 36 hours per week. Minors require a medical examination before employment. Employees must perform the agreed work, follow lawful instructions and workplace discipline, comply with safety rules, protect confidential information and safeguard employer property. Employers must provide work and a workplace, pay wages, keep working-time records, arrange pension insurance, protect personal data, preserve employment records, provide safety instruction and access for employee representatives, and compensate legally recognized harm. An employer must stop work where continuing would threaten life or health. Normal working time is limited to 40 hours per week. Work involving hazardous or harmful conditions is limited to 36 hours, and an employee with a disability may receive a reduced working week of at least 36 hours under an MSЕК recommendation without a wage reduction. Night work runs from 22:00 to 06:00 and normally reduces a shift by one hour. Part-time work may be agreed, and the employer must provide it on request to a pregnant employee, a parent of a child under 14 or a person providing care. Overtime is allowed only in exceptional cases with written consent, is generally limited to four hours over two consecutive days and 120 hours per year, and is unavailable to pregnant employees and workers under 18. Overtime is paid at twice the normal rate or compensated with rest. Weekly rest must be at least 42 hours; a five-day week normally provides two rest days and a six-day week one. Annual leave normally lasts 30 calendar days. Teachers, education managers and people with disabilities receive 45 days; doctoral researchers receive 45 days and кандидаты наук receive 36 days. The first annual-leave entitlement generally arises after 11 months of work, and the employer should announce the leave at least 15 days in advance. Hazardous work adds between three and 15 days of leave depending on the conditions. Special maternity rules apply, and unpaid childcare leave may continue until a child reaches three years while the job remains available and a state benefit may apply. On termination, unused main and additional leave must be paid out according to the applicable rules. The statutory minimum wage is 1,410 TMT per month from 1 January 2025; the reviewed official sources contained no newer amount for 2026. Wages must generally be paid at least twice per month. Vacation pay should be paid no later than one day before leave begins. Payment is made in money, with bank transfer available on the employee’s request. Night work is paid at least 1.5 times the normal rate, and work on weekends or public holidays is paid twice or compensated with rest. Where work stops for reasons not caused by the employee, payment is at least two-thirds of the applicable tariff or salary rate. Wage deductions are generally limited to 20%; special cases may reach 50%, and several enforcement titles must still leave at least 50% of the wages available to the employee. Occupational safety is a state responsibility. Employers assess risks, provide instruction, personal protective equipment, medical checks and first aid, and report workplace accidents. Employers with more than 50 employees must have an occupational-safety service or engineer, and a joint safety commission may also operate. Turkmenstandartlary can inspect working conditions, investigate accidents, issue orders, suspend unsafe operations and apply sanctions. Medical checks are required for several groups, including workers under 18, men aged 62 or more, women aged 57 or more, employees with disabilities, and people working at night or in hazardous, transport, health, food or education roles. A workplace injury or occupational illness may lead to compensation for lost earning capacity, additional expenses and, where applicable, a lump-sum payment. Forced labor is prohibited, with narrow exceptions for military service, accident or disaster response, emergencies, court judgments and disciplinary work. Although earlier civic-duty exceptions were removed on 30 November 2024, international monitoring continues to identify a risk of state-directed forced mobilization, particularly during the cotton harvest. This risk makes sector, region and actual working conditions relevant when assessing employment in agriculture and related supply chains. Employers may impose a warning, reprimand, severe reprimand, temporary demotion of up to three months or dismissal. Before imposing a disciplinary sanction, the employer must request a written explanation. Employees have a legal right to form or join trade unions. Under the Law on Trade Unions, registered unions may represent employees, negotiate collective agreements, inspect working conditions, participate in accident investigations and represent employees in court. Collective agreements may operate at state, territorial, industry or enterprise level and usually last one to three years. The reviewed legislation did not verify an independent strike mechanism. An individual labor dispute can begin with direct negotiation and proceed to a labor dispute commission, with union involvement where available. The commission generally decides within 10 calendar days, and a challenge is normally filed within 10 days. Employees may go directly to court in cases involving reinstatement, the reason or date of dismissal, wages during forced absence, health or property damage, or refusal to hire. The usual court deadline is one month for reinstatement and three months for other employment claims; employer claims for property damage generally have one year, while health-damage claims have no limitation period. Employees are exempt from court fees in labor cases. Collective disputes require written demands, an employer response within three working days, conciliation and a dispute commission; court proceedings may follow within the specified statutory periods. An employee normally gives two weeks’ written notice to resign. The parties may terminate the contract by written agreement at any time. Employer-initiated termination can arise from liquidation, staff reduction, insufficient qualification, certain management changes, illness lasting more than four months, repeated breaches, more than three hours of unjustified absence, intoxication, serious safety violations or false documents. Notice is generally two months for liquidation or staff reduction and two weeks for insufficient qualification or expiry of a fixed term. Severance is typically two weeks of average wages, or one month for liquidation or staff reduction, with continued payments potentially lasting up to two months and a third month in qualifying cases after timely registration with an employment service. Final wages, the трудовая книжка and the dismissal order should be provided on the termination day or when payment becomes due. An unlawful dismissal can lead to reinstatement, back pay and additional compensation of at least three months’ average wages when claimed. State employment services provide free employment assistance, and the 2026 Population Employment Portal offers an additional access channel. In 2025, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection reported 3,867 labor inspections, violations in 2,352 cases and 3,040 sanctions or other measures. The Ministry, regional labor and employment offices, the Ministry of Adalat, Turkmenstandartlary, local state bodies, trade unions, labor dispute commissions and courts each have different responsibilities, so the correct body depends on whether the issue concerns job placement, contract records, safety, collective representation, payment, dismissal or court enforcement.