Ukraine’s New Civil Code Could Let Workers Ignore Work Chats on Weekends

Ukraine’s new draft Civil Code would give people the right to disconnect from work communications during weekends and other non-working hours, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk said. The proposed “right to informational peace” would mean employers and colleagues could not contact people about work-related matters during their days off.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Stefanchuk announced the proposal during the official presentation of the new draft Civil Code of Ukraine. The draft significantly expands protections for personal non-property rights, including the rights to life and health, reproductive rights, reputation, and privacy. It also addresses rights linked to modern communication technologies, including messengers, websites, audio and video calls, and artificial intelligence. For the first time, the code would also introduce a “right to be forgotten,” which Stefanchuk said would protect people from being permanently pursued over mistakes they made as children. “When a person has a day off, they should not be disturbed over matters related to work communication,” Stefanchuk said. Other provisions would regulate property rights, intellectual property, and AI, including copyright, patents, licenses and works or other objects created with AI. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.