In Soligorsk, A Pregnant Woman Was Fired Three Months Before Her Maternity Leave Began
- 30.10.2026, 9:59
The lawyer explained whether this was legal.
A lawyer, Mikhail Khatkevich, commented on the case of a pregnant employee at Soligorsk’s “Shakhtostroy” who complained about being fired three months before her maternity leave. He explained that the law protects pregnant women from dismissal at the employer’s initiative; however, the expiration of an employment contract is a separate ground for terminating the employment relationship, writes “Minskaya Pravda”.
According to the attorney, it is important to note in this case that the woman was employed under a fixed-term employment contract. Pursuant to Articles 35 and 38 of the Labor Code, the expiration of such a contract constitutes an independent ground for terminating the employment relationship.
This means that if a contract is concluded for a fixed term and that term has ended, the employment relationship may be terminated regardless of the employee’s pregnancy. In this case, we are not talking about dismissal at the employer’s initiative, but rather the expiration of a contract whose terms were agreed upon by the parties in advance.
This is precisely the circumstance cited by “Shakhtostroy” in explaining why the employee’s contract was not renewed.
The company also explained that the job of a shaft builder involves the construction of vertical mine shafts, and such work can be suspended for periods ranging from one to three years. Therefore, specialists are hired on fixed-term contracts to avoid layoffs during periods when there are no orders. According to the company, this practice has been in place since 2005.
As a reminder, a resident of Soligorsk previously complained on Threads that she was fired from “Shakhtostroy” three months before going on maternity leave.
“I was fired three months before going on maternity leave, and they didn’t offer me a single job opening, even though I had worked at the company for five years. They claimed they had no position for me according to the Medical Advisory Commission’s (VKK) certificate—Editor’s note—even though it was issued for the profession I had been working in for all five of those years,” she wrote.
After the story gained publicity, the company stated that the employee’s most recent fixed-term contract was valid until September 30, 2026. Starting September 19, after receiving a medical certificate regarding her pregnancy, she was placed on leave with her average salary maintained. The company also claimed that they had offered the woman a position as a cleaner, but she refused. However, the woman from Soligorsk insisted that she had not been offered any job openings at all.