May 6, 2014
Uzbekistan improves the system of protecting the interests of workers, employers and the stat2
Abul-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Kasir al Farghani5
Press-service of MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan
POLICY
Meeting at the Oqsaroy
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Finance of Japan Taro Aso at the Oqsaroy on May 5.
The head of our state, greeting the guest, noted that the latter is known in Uzbekistan not only as a prominent political figure and statesman of Japan, but also as a reliable friend who has made an enormous input into the development of mutually advantageous relations and the establishment of strategic partnership between our two nations. President Karimov congratulated Taro Aso on the title of the Honored Doctor awarded to him by the Banking and Finance Academy of Uzbekistan during his current visit to our country.
Japan is one of Uzbekistan’s key economic partners. The bilateral trade turnover in 2013 exceeded 215.2 million US dollars. The total volume of funds extended by Japan to Uzbekistan has amounted to 2.32 billion dollars.
It is noteworthy that the official visit Uzbekistan’s President paid to Japan in February 2011 helped afford a new impetus to the Uzbek-Japanese relations, boost the political dialogue and fill the strategic cooperation with novel practical substance.
Japanese partners have taken an active participation in the implementation of major projects in Uzbekistan, including the construction of a compressor station at the Kokdumalak field and Bukhara Petroleum Refinery, reconstruction of Ferghana Refinery, modernization of airports in Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench.
Projects currently run include those regarding the electrification of the Karshi-Termez railway line, enhancement of the Navoi Thermal Power Plant (TPP) and modernization of the Talimarjan TPP.
The meeting served to discuss issues related to bolstering the cooperation in the energy, mining, hydrocarbon, chemical and electro-technical sectors, automotive industry, and the telecommunications area. Also, the parties to talks exchanged views on regional and international affairs.
Taro Aso expressed sincere gratitude to the head of our state for a warm reception and confirmed the willingness of the Japanese government in the further consolidation of the multifaceted economic interaction with Uzbekistan.
(Source: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
Society
Uzbekistan improves the system of protecting the interests of workers, employers and the stat
Working conditions change as fast as technology. Today, the most complex and time-consuming labor is fulfilled by modern machines. This century has been called an era of intellect: a growing number of professionals engaged in solving problems related to the creation and management of equipment. Unchanged for the state remains only the issue of providing for employment and decent working conditions, the implementation of measures to protect the socio-economic interests and rights of workers, labor protection measures.
High level
As member of the International Labor Organization (ILO), Uzbekistan provides this work in accordance with ratified 13 ILO conventions.
Tashkent has recently hosted an international conference, Ensuring Labor Rights: Experience of Uzbekistan and International Labor Standards. The conference was organized by the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan with the participation of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Independent Institute for Monitoring the Formation of Civil Society, the Ministry of Justice, the National Association of NGOs of Uzbekistan, as well as the International Labor Organization and UNDP in Uzbekistan. Members of parliament, heads and experts of relevant ministries and agencies discussed in detail the system and its characteristics. The deliberations focused on basic labor rights of citizens and their security in the light of national legislation and international standards. Trade union activities were examined in detail.
In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, everyone has the right to work, to have a free choice of employment, fair conditions of work and protection against unemployment in the manner prescribed by law. Labor legislation, taking into account the interests of employees, employers, the state ensures the efficient functioning of the labor market, fair and safe working conditions, protection of labor rights and health of employees, enhance productivity, quality improvement, improvement on this material and cultural living standards. The Uzbek labor law is interlocked with other sectors of the domestic law. This circumstance determined the implementation of the legal validity of the generally accepted principles and norms of international law, the direct application of articles of the Constitution of Uzbekistan, the provisions contained in the Civil Procedure Code.
Caring for the youth
The most important thing is to ensure employment, especially among youth. In this direction, the central issue is to increase the efficiency of the considerable human resource potential of the country, create an environment for productive employment, especially of young people, graduates, new entrants to the labor market.
Implementation of actions aimed at improving labor market flexibility, creation of new jobs in certain sectors and industries, development of the small business sector, self-employment and profitability of the activities of the population, family businesses, providing modern and efficient services employment services and development of human resources through improved vocational training and retraining.
According to the regional programs, only this year it is planned to create more than 900 thousand jobs. At this, issues of employment of graduates of professional colleges and universities occupy special place. In this direction, as positive was proven the practice of entering into tripartite agreements between students, schools and employers, according to which the student is first provided a place for practical training, and then independently employed. A trend of recent years has been a recruitment of students of final years as a manifestation of a struggle for the best specialists. The implemented programs are to attract young people to become entrepreneurs. Those wishing to learn to conduct their businesses are assisted in implementation of business ideas, including the provision of loans on favorable terms. In recent years, a system of retraining the unemployed is developed in order to further ensuring employment. In the capital, a training center was opened; similar work is ongoing in other regions.
These processes occur within the rules and regulations established in the country. The Labor Code provides for the minimum age for employment at 16. In exceptional cases, with the permission of their parents or their substitutes, it can be at 15. In accordance with the Law “On guarantees of the rights of the child”, workers under the age of 18 are provided with necessary conditions for combining work with compulsory education, favorable conditions for work and rest, met stringent standards of occupational safety, including the prevention of hazardous types of work. To create optimal conditions the State Program “On additional measures for implementation in 2012-2013 of the Convention on “forced or compulsory labor” and the Convention “On the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor ratified by Uzbekistan” were implemented.
Labor rights of minors are protected by laws “On guarantees of the rights of the child”, “On Combating Trafficking in Human Beings”, “On the prevention of child neglect and juvenile delinquency”, “On family business”. Moreover, these standards will be strengthened. In the first reading, were adopted the laws “On Amendments and Additions to the Labor Code” and “On Employment”, including additional guarantees of employment of graduates of educational institutions, victims of trafficking and other persons not able to compete on equal terms in the labor market.
A system of state institutions to prevent the worst forms of child labor was created. A juvenile committee under the Cabinet of Ministers operates which has competence in addressing issues relating to children in the community. There are legal aid services and health within the system of the Federation of Trade Unions. In the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection effectively operates governmental legal labor inspectorates, conducting control over the prevention of violations of labor law. There is an Interagency Working Group working on preparation and provision of information on the implementation of International Labor Organization conventions ratified by Uzbekistan.
Ways to improve
Uzbekistan continues extensive work to further improve the system to ensure the rights of all workers.
The priority is to ensure the fundamental rights of workers, concretized in the national legislation. Among them is a law on remuneration not lower than established by the legislation on working conditions that meet safety and health requirements for training, retraining and skills. Implemented employee’s right to compensation for damage caused to health or property of the employee in relation to work, the right to social security and social security in old age, disability, loss of breadwinner, and in other instances. Inalienable right of workers is the right to rest, ensured by the establishment of a 40-hour working week, providing weekly rest and paid annual leave. At the conclusion of international experts, in some cases, these rules are more concessional than those provided by international standards.
For the full implementation of the obligations arising from ratified Conventions of the International Labor Organization, a large-scale work is conducted. Perfecting the regulatory framework in the field through guaranteeing social security, refining the employment legislation, developing mechanisms to regulate wages, improving occupational safety and health, social insurance system.
Work continues on improving the national legislation in accordance with international standards. For this it is planed to adoption of new laws, including the “On social partnership”, amendments and additions to existing legislature, in particular, to the Labor Code, the Law “On employment”, and the Law “On protection of labor”.
Priority of all economic and legal reforms remains a strong social protection. There is a system of income differentiation reduce, payment growth and reliability of social protection.
The social protection is an integral part of collective bargaining between workers’ representatives – trade unions and employers. The framework conditions for the development of social partnership mechanisms, carried out joint development, adoption and implementation of balanced socio-economic and labor policy based on combining the interests of the state, employees and employers. The most important mechanism is to improve the collective bargaining labor relations.
The major tasks in occupational safety and health are monitor and strengthening the effectiveness of monitoring the application of legislation, greater use of economic instruments to encourage employers to improve working conditions. Additional measures require the organization of occupational safety in small enterprises, to develop its own manufacturing base of individual and collective protection, development and dissemination of information materials on occupational safety, training areas including modular technology education.
Federation of employees
One of the fundamental rights of workers in the world and the country is a professional association. The Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan is one of the biggest public organizations, which is developing successfully.
The Federation of Trade Unions has a membership of about six million members, expanding the social basis of union membership and enhanced protection of workers’ rights. A lot of work has been carried out to attract of businesses and private sector organizations into trade unions, including joint ventures, private and family companies. Over the past three years a primary trade union organizations were created at 12,500 enterprises.
An important step was a signing of General Agreement on socio-economic issues between the Federation and the Government, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. On the basis of this document, 85 industrial and 14 territorial agreements were signed, and at businesses and organizations – about 98,000 collective bargaining agreements, which is 96.3% of legal entities employing union members.
A system of social protection of workers was expanded through collective complete coverage of all contractual relations of enterprises, organizations and institutions of the country, especially private sector enterprises. Today unions are actively involved in the implementation of government programs to create jobs, public control. Substantially increased work is to promote the employment of women and youth.
Collective bargaining agreement has become an important tool in realization of workers’ rights. They provide a number of important rules and regulations, ensure full employment of workers in accordance with the specialty, qualifications and employment contract. Local acts reflected the employer’s obligation to comply with strict conventions of the International Labor Organization ratified by Uzbekistan. Also, they include a mandatory norm prior consent of the trade union committee at the termination of the employment contract of an employee by employer. Collective agreements provide for such additional guarantees and privileges as establishment of additional holidays for women, extended maternity leave, and material assistance to mothers caring for children aged two to three years. Young families are allocated with interest-free loans for purchase of durable goods of domestic production and construction of individual housing. Contracts of students are paid enrolled in higher education institutions.
In addition, job certification is held, providing ablution facilities, equipment, protective clothing, protective equipment and preventative nutrition. Ongoing is a systematic work on prevention of employment injuries and occupational diseases. Enterprises, organizations and institutions in various industries set a three-tiered public control to ensure labor rights and standards in accordance with the labor laws.
Collective agreements guarantee compliance with the standards specified minimum wage, guarantee and compensation payments, ensuring timely payment of wages. Guarantees provided additional payments based on the characteristics and specificity of industries. Exercise the right to safe and supportive working conditions, compensation for damage caused by production. Various social safeguards were established for persons with disabilities, youth, women and persons engaged in family duties.
In the trade union system established “hotlines” for rapid response to violations of workers’ rights. Significantly in recent years has expanded the practice of pre-trial settlement of individual and collective labor disputes. To enhance public control over observance of labor rights arranged work for reception of citizens in all parts of the Federation of Trade Unions, through the official websites of trade union organizations, interactive services in the form of legal advice is provided.
To improve the quality and efficiency of the operations to ensure a strong social protection and workers’ rights the Federation Council of Trade Unions of the country has established close partnerships with organs of public authorities and other institutions of civil society.
Trade union organizations have established permanent control over the implementation of sector and regional agreements, collective agreements. There is an annual review of critical issues in labor, together with the social partners. A system of employers’ and trade unions’ accountability to employees has been introduced.
(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)
The International Conference “The historical heritage of scientists and thinkers of the Medieval East, its role and significance for the modern civilization”
Abul-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Kasir al Farghani
(about 798-865)
Astronomer, mathematician, and engineer
Biography
The exact date of birth and death of Ahmad al Farghani is not known. It is obvious from his name that he is from Ferghana. In Western Europe he was recognized of Latin name – Alfraganus.
Ahmad al Farghani worked together with Muhammad al Khorazmi in Bayt al Hikma (The House of Wisdom) in Bagdad. He participated in measuring the length of a meridian degree in Sanjar desert in Iraq.
The only reliable date in the biography of Ahmad al-Fargani is 861, when he built a new Nilometer (scale that measures water level of the Nile) on the island of Rauda near Cairo, which functioned until 1971, i.e. until the Aswan Dam construction.
The Main Scientific Works
The list of preserved to date, 11 works by Ahmad al Farghoni written in the Arabic language includes – Kitab fi usul ilm an-nujum («The elements of astronomy»), Bab fi ma’rifa al-vaqt al-lati yakuni al-kamar fiha fa-vqa al-ard av tahtakha («the Treatise on time, when the Moon goes under and above the Earth»), Hisab al-akalim as-sab’a(«The calculus of seven climates»), al-Kamil fi san’a al-asturlab ash-shimali wa-l-janubi bi-l handasa wa-l-hisab («A comprehensive book on the structure of the north and south astrolabe supplied with geometrical justification»), Kitab amal ar-ruhamat («A book of construction of sundials»), Kitab amal bi-l asturlab («A book of operations with astrolabe») and many others.
The “Elements of Astronomy” used as a textbook for astronomy classes, was translated in the XII century into the Latin language and was very popular in Europe. The book contains evidence for spherical form of the Earth and the data on the planet’s size, which induced Ch. Columbus, F. Magellan and other travelers to make geographical discoveries.
Both «A comprehensive book on structure of the north and south astrolabe supplied with geometrical justification», and «A book of construction of sundials», contain guidelines for designing, making and applying astronomic tools – astrolabes (a planar astronomic instrument made of copper, bronze or other similar alloys, which is used for defining the coordinates of celestial bodies) and sundials.
In his “Book of operations with astrolabe” Ahmad al-Farghoni, proved the theorem of Ptolemy on the stereographic projection (stereographic projection – projecting of points on the surface of the imaginary heavenly sphere from one pole on to the plane crossing through its other pole, or on to the plane containing the equator), which is recognized as the main theory of astrolabe – the most popular medieval astronomic instrument.
Contribution to the World Science
The book “Elements of Astronomy” used in most European universities up till the XVII century as the main textbook on astronomy brought him big fame. The book was the source of knowledge both for scientists and ordinary people interested in the matters of the world structure. So, the great Italian poet of the XIII century Dante Aligueri made use of the cosmography by Ahmad al-Farghoni, in his poetry work “The Feast”.
World Recognition
One of the craters on the Moon is called «Alfraghanus » (from XVII century). It was in 1998 when on the initiative of the President Islam Karimov and at the support from UNESCO, we widely celebrated the 1200th birthday of Ahmad al-Farghoni. The Ferghana State University was named after A. Farghoni. In 2007, when the President of Uzbekistan was in Egypt on the official visit, a monument to Ahmad al-Farghony was mounted on the island of Raud.
(Source:msth.uz)