Chairman was fined for denying child benefits to those who did not participate in cotton picking

The State Labor Inspectorate investigated an audio message from the chairman of a neighborhood in the Kashkadarya region, in which he stated that children who did not participate in cotton picking would not receive child benefits. As a result, the chairman was fined approximately 19 million soums, according to the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Employment.

During the investigation, it was found that on October 9, L. Orokov, chairman of the "Pakhtakor" mahalla in Shahrisabz district, sent a voice message to the "Nushkent Unite" Telegram channel, urging unemployed citizens to participate in cotton harvesting. His message drew widespread attention.

As a consequence of his actions, Orokov was fined 50 times the base calculation amount, equivalent to 18,750,000 soums, under Part 1 of Article 51 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility.

“Reminder: Article 5 of the Labor Code prohibits forced labor. According to Article 51 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility, any form of administrative coercion to work results in a fine ranging from 50 to 100 times the base calculation amount,” stated the ministry.

It was also noted that if the same offense is repeated or committed against a minor, the offender could face prosecution under Article 148² of the Criminal Code.

To recall, there have been previous reports on social media about cases where farmers were coerced into accepting lower prices for cotton. In response, the government decided to transfer some of the costs incurred by cotton clusters, under contractual agreements, to taxpayers. The Ministry of Agriculture later clarified the situation, stating that the message had been misunderstood and there was a mistake in its delivery.