Legal aid that brought justice: the story of pensioner Vitaliy

In May 2024, Vitaliy*, a pensioner, turned to a lawyer of the Caritas Kharkiv Charitable Foundation in the Pisochyn community for help. Because of his meager pension, the man was forced to work, but the employer where he had worked for several years fired him without paying him wages and did not return his work record book, as required by law.

Attempts to resolve this situation on his own failed, so Vitaliy realized that he needed professional legal support.

The lawyer of Caritas Kharkiv first sent an official claim to the employer demanding repayment of the debt, but it remained unanswered. When it was suggested that he file a lawsuit, Vitaliy hesitated because he did not have the funds to pay the court fee. When he learned that the court costs would be reimbursed, he agreed to take advantage of this opportunity.

The lawsuit was filed in June 2024, and in October, the court satisfied all the claims. The decision obliged the employer to issue a duly executed original employment record book, pay wage arrears, and reimburse the average earnings for the time of delay in payment.

This free legal aid was made possible through the cooperation of Caritas Kharkiv with the Danish Refugee Council and funding from the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine.

Name changed.