Draft amendments to the Law “On Mediation”, the Labour Code, and the Civil Code of the Republic of Armenia propose introducing mandatory mediation as a pre-trial requirement for certain employment disputes.
If adopted, before initiating court proceedings mediation would become mandatory for the following disputes:
- amendment or termination of employment contracts;
- imposing disciplinary sanction on employees; and
- collective labour disputes.
Where mandatory mediation applies, the parties will first be required to undergo a mediation process in an attempt to resolve the dispute out of court. Only after the completion of the mediation process may the parties initiate court proceedings.
The proposed amendments to the Civil Code specify that limitation periods would be suspended from the commencement of mediation until its completion in cases where mediation is initiated based on an agreement or as required by law.
The above changes are currently at the draft stage and will become applicable only if adopted and enter into force.
The proposed reforms are aimed to strengthen alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, encourage constructive dialogue between employers and employees, and promote more efficient resolution of labour disputes.