Azerbaijan to increase employer's liability to prevent hiring of narcology patients

In Azerbaijan, the responsibility of employers is being increased to prevent the hiring of narcological patients.

Report informs that releavnt amendments to the Labor Code and the "Law on Narcological Service and Control" have been proposed.

The draft amendment was brought up for discussion at today's online session of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) Committee on Labor and Social Policy.

It was reported that the improvement of the normative legal framework is envisaged in order to increase the responsibility of employers for preventing the hiring of persons with drug addiction for professional types and positions where activity restrictions are stipulated for narcological patients.

Within the framework of the implementation of that sub-clause, a draft law has been prepared with the aim of amending both legislations.

The draft reflects the regulation of issues such as the employee presenting an opinion on medical examination (medical check-up) issued by the state narcological medical institution when being hired for professional types and positions where activity restrictions are stipulated for narcological patients, as well as conducting relevant periodic or extraordinary mandatory medical examinations at the employer's expense when reasonable suspicions arise during the employee's performance of labor functions.

Furthermore, according to the amendment, when it is revealed that an employment contract has been concluded regarding the hiring of a person who is a narcological patient for the professions and positions specified in Article 74 of the Labor Code, or when a person is determined to be a narcological patient during a medical examination in the course of employment relations, the termination of the employee's employment contract is envisaged as a ground independent of the will of the parties.