The Joint Stock Company "Uzbekistan Railways" is carrying out extensive measures to update the railway network, develop personnel, and improve passenger service levels in the Navoi region.
During his working trip to the region, the Chairman of the Board of the company, Zufar Narzullaev, personally inspected the progress of construction work, as well as the digitalization processes and the created conditions.
First and foremost, the head of the company inspected the Navoi Railway Station, where large-scale reconstruction work is currently underway. These efforts are aimed at significantly improving the quality of services for passengers and deeply enhancing the entire infrastructure. Zufar Narzullaev emphasized the importance of using modern architectural solutions when building facilities and creating additional conveniences for the population.
Next, the department head visited the innovative training center "MPS Turon." This center is being established based on the Navoi signaling and communication station of the Bukhara Regional Railway Hub. The main task of the new center is to ensure the widespread application of advanced domestic signaling and automation systems in railway infrastructure, including MPS Turon, MPAB Turon, DSTuron, and MAPS Turon, which were developed by local specialists.
Furthermore, within the framework of this center, the training of qualified specialists capable of effectively working with these new technologies will be established.
Following the introduction of an updated procedure for granting sick leave and maternity benefits in Uzbekistan, business representatives have encountered several practical difficulties. During a meeting organized by the Confederation of Employers, participants discussed challenges related to employees working in multiple companies, payment issues for residents of the IT Park, and persistent demands from inspectors for paper documentation.
Thanks to the transition to digital accounting, the number of processed payments has significantly increased. According to the Agency for Social Protection, at the beginning of the current year, maternity benefits were issued very rarely at 15 inspected enterprises. However, the situation has improved this year: the state has already paid women on maternity leave the amount of 4.96 billion soms. Nevertheless, the initial phase of the new system revealed several shortcomings.
One of the central topics was the status of employees officially employed in several organizations simultaneously. The Unified National Labor System (ENST – mehnat.uz) records all employment positions and automatically sends electronic sick leave to each employer, but companies cannot exchange information with each other.
The most controversial point was the established limit of 10 minimum wages (which amounts to 12,710,000 soms) for calculating payments from the fund. Even if an employee receives income from multiple places and social tax is withheld from each salary, the benefit is calculated only within this limit. If the actual earnings exceed this threshold, the employer is obliged to cover the difference. One participant asked a direct question about the social fairness of this mechanism, noting that it puts conscientious employers at a disadvantage.
Another unresolved issue concerns companies that are residents of the IT Park. According to the Cabinet of Ministers decree of May 31, 2024, these organizations are exempt from paying social tax, which means their personnel are formally not considered insured in the state fund. Over two thousand companies operate within the IT Park ecosystem. An example was presented at the meeting of an employee working both in a regular firm and in a technology park resident company. The first enterprise pays for the first five days of sick leave, but it remains unclear who should finance the subsequent period of incapacity for work if the employer is from the IT Park. Official clarifications on this matter are currently unavailable and are under review by relevant agencies.
Furthermore, difficulties arise during inspections. Although the law on medical confidentiality prohibits disclosing an employee's diagnosis, and the electronic system contains all necessary information, some auditors continue to insist on providing paper sick leaves with a stamp. Dilshodhon Mukhamedjanova, a representative of the Agency for Social Protection, emphasized that an employee is not obligated to provide a paper certificate of incapacity for work, and the fund does not require such documents. Nevertheless, HR departments regularly face contradictory requirements from inspectors. In response, businesses proposed that agencies develop unified official recommendations to eliminate ambiguity in the rules.
Another problem arose after state polyclinics switched to a five-day work week. If a person falls ill on Saturday, the attending physician can record the consultation, but the system does not allow for the issuance of an electronic sick leave on a weekend. Consequently, the certificate of incapacity for work is only opened on Monday, but with the date of the first consultation indicated retroactively.
The Ministry of Health was reminded that private clinics also have the right to issue sick leaves, provided they are registered in the DMED system. However, many private institutions have not yet completed this registration due to lack of awareness. Meeting participants suggested making connection to DMED a mandatory condition for obtaining licenses for such clinics.
The issue of payments to foreign specialists was discussed separately. Davron Vakhabov, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, cited the USA as an example where citizens largely cover medical expenses themselves. In turn, HR specialists with experience in the UAE and Turkey reported that foreign employees with residency visas in these countries receive health insurance on par with local residents. Although holders of the E2 category work visa in Uzbekistan are formally equated to local employees, the technical process of assigning payments for them is not yet fully streamlined.
It should be noted that starting from July 1, 2026, temporary disability benefits in Uzbekistan will be assigned on a proactive basis, without the need for applications or additional certificates from employees. It was precisely the first months of operation of the new system that helped identify issues requiring regulatory settlement by employers.
