ARMENIA LAW AND PRACTICE Contributed by: Aram Orbelyan, Narine Beglaryan, Artur Hovhannisyan, Lilit Karapetyan, Sarkis Knyazyan and Shushanik Stepanyan, Concern Dialog
4.3 Working Time Under Armenian legislation, the regular working hours must not exceed 40 hours per week and eight hours per day (exceptions are specified by the Labour Code, other laws or legal acts). Certain categories of employees, such as those working in healthcare organisations with contin - uous duty, guardianship organisations, children’s educational institutions, specialised energy, gas and heat supply organisations, specialised com - munication and emergency response services, etc, may have 24-hour continuous work shifts. The specific list of such occupations is deter - mined by the government of the Republic of Armenia. Any work performed beyond the specified limits shall be classified as overtime work and must be compensated according to the following rate: for each hour of overtime, in addition to the regular hourly rate, a supplement of no less than 50% of the hourly rate must be provided. The total working hours, including overtime, must not exceed 12 hours per day (including breaks for rest and meals) and 48 hours per week. 4.4 Termination of Employment Contracts An employment contract can be terminated through various means. The most common cases are: • termination at the employee’s initiative; • mutual agreement; • expiration of the contract; or • termination at the employer’s initiative. The employment contract can also be termi - nated by the force of law. For example, when
• the position, first name and last name of the person signing the legal act on behalf of the organisation; and • the methods by which the employer and employee shall notify each other regarding employment-related matters. Parties to the contract can agree to include addi - tional conditions in the employment contract or individual legal act, but these conditions must be no less favourable than what is established by law. Fixed-Term Contracts Generally, an employment contract is intended to be of indefinite duration. However, it is also possible to conclude an employment contract with a fixed term if labour relations cannot be defined for an indefinite period, considering the conditions or the nature of the work to be done. The Labour Code specifies certain circum - stances in which an employment contract may be concluded for a fixed term. These include the following cases: • with employees holding elected positions for the specified term; • with employees appointed for a duration pre - scribed by law; • with employees performing seasonal work; • with individuals engaged in temporary work lasting up to two months; • with an employee who is filling in for a tempo - rarily absent employee; • with learners undergoing practical workplace training and performing specific work within the framework of work-based learning under a vocational education and training pro - gramme; and • with foreigners for the duration of validity of a work permit, in cases when a work permit is required for employment by RA legislation.
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