“My healer is sick himself”: Ministry employees dismissed without cause still await payment

A citizen who worked as a vocational training master at the Professional Training Department of the Skills Development Center under the Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment from October 14, 2020, to December 31, 2024, reached out to QALAMPIR.UZ. According to him, on December 26, 2024, he and 13 other employees of the department were unjustly dismissed by the center’s director, Abdukhalil Rahmonov. Although the employees won their case in court, they say the ruling has yet to be enforced.

The complainant explained that, under Presidential Decree No. 347 dated October 4, 2024, on “Measures to Improve State Policy and Enhance Efficiency in the Field of Poverty Reduction and Employment,” professional skills centers were to be established based on the “Ishga Marhamat” mono-centers and vocational training centers. However, on October 30, 2024, Director Rahmonov issued notice letters to all employees, informing them that their contracts would be terminated as of December 31, 2024. He cited Order No. 176 of the Minister of Poverty Reduction and Employment, dated October 23, 2024, as the basis for the decision.

In fact, the department had been established under Presidential Decree No. PQ-4804 of August 11, 2020, “On Additional Measures to Engage Unemployed and Low-Income Citizens in Entrepreneurship, Enhance Labor Activity, and Improve Vocational Training.”

The 14 dismissed employees filed a lawsuit. Although their initial claim was rejected, they later appealed to the Tashkent City Civil Court, seeking reinstatement, as well as compensation for material and moral damages. They won their case at both the appellate and supervisory levels. The court ordered that each employee be reinstated, compensation be collected from the director, and that the termination orders, issued under Article 161, Part 2, Clause 1 of the Labor Code, be declared unlawful. Despite the ruling being issued on May 23, 2025, it has not yet been executed.

Meanwhile, Minister of Poverty Reduction and Employment Botir Zokhidov reportedly sent a letter to the Prosecutor General’s Office, claiming that paying the 14 employees the total compensation of 769 million soums would allegedly cause damage to the state budget.

On October 17, a meeting was held between the ministry and the complainants. During the discussion, ministry representatives said they intended to partially comply with the court ruling, offering to pay 100 million soums of the 769 million owed. They added that Director Rahmonov would pay the rest by spring, but that the ministry planned to appeal the supervisory court’s decision to the Supreme Court. The ministry also claimed that the Skills Development Center is an independent organization and that Rahmonov himself is responsible for the payment. However, it remains unclear why the ministry refuses to finance an institution under its jurisdiction, while at the same time labeling the compensation as a “budget loss” in its letter to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The complainant told QALAMPIR.UZ that no agreement was reached with the ministry representatives. When the editorial office contacted the ministry’s press secretary, Gulnoza Alimova, for an official comment, she declined to provide one. Instead, she sent an audio recording claiming that a settlement had been reached with the former employees and warned that if the article mentioned the ministry’s name, legal action would be taken.

In addition, the complainant reported facing pressure after filing the complaint. On October 15, at 19:35, he received a phone call questioning why he had gone to the media about the ministry and warning him that “he knows what will happen if the article is published.” During today’s meeting on October 17, the employees were again asked not to publicize the issue through the media.