Political Science Law
| Open Access |
DOI: Legal Regulation of Labour In International Financial Centres: The Experience of The Astana International Financial Centreand Prospects for Its Application in Uzbekistan
Abstract
This article presents a comprehensive study of the specific features of labour law regulation at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), where a special legal regime applies that differs from the national labour legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as at the newly established Tashkent International Financial Centre (Constitutional Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. ZRU-1158 of 13 July 2026). The relevance of this study stems from the absence in Uzbekistan of specific labour regulations for residents of the Tashkent International Financial Centre and, consequently, the need to develop scientifically grounded approaches to their formulation. The author examines, from a comparative perspective, the specific features of labour regulation in the IFCA, as well as the possibility of incorporating provisions of English common law into the labour legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, with the aim of developing a scientifically grounded approach to establishing a regulatory and legal framework for labour regulation within the newly established Tashkent International Financial Centre. The structure of the article includes an examination of the sources of labour regulation in the IFZs, and an analysis of how these sources relate to the national legislation of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. The article examines in detail the specific features of individual institutions of labour legal relations (the conclusion of employment contracts, working hours and rest periods, annual leave, remuneration, the prohibition of discrimination, and the institution of dismissal). It concludes that the labour law of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) possesses autonomy and internal coherence as a distinct legal subsystem operating in parallel with the national labour legislation of Kazakhstan; it also analyses the provisions of Uzbekistan’s labour legislation with a view to examining the possibility of their application in the AIFC’s labour regulations.
Keywords
Astana International Financial Centre, AIFC, labour law
References
Legislative acts
ILO Convention No. 132 “on Paid Leave” (1970).
Constitutional Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 438-V of 7 December 2015 ‘On the Astana International Financial Centre’ (as amended and supplemented).
Labour Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 414-V of 23 November 2015 (as amended and supplemented).
Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan https://lex.uz/docs/6445147Трудовой Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan https://lex.uz/ru/docs/6257291
Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. UP-48 of 30 March 2026 “On the Establishment of the Tashkent International Financial Centre”.
Resolution of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 2146-V of 2 June 2026 “On the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan ‘On the Tashkent International Financial Centre’” // National Database of Legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan (LexUz). URL: https://lex.uz/ru/docs/8319306 (accessed 24 July 2026).
Regulatory acts of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC)
AIFC Constitutional Statute 2015 (English text) // Official website of the AIFC. URL: https://aifc.kz/legal-framework/ (accessed 20 July 2026).
AIFC Employment Regulations No. 4 of 2017 // Official website of the AIFC. URL: https://aifc.kz/ru/legal-framework/employment (accessed: 20 July 2026).
AIFC Act No. GR0009 of 2017 ‘Qualifications Necessary for Employment in the AIFC’ // AIFC official website.
AIFC Court Regulations 2017 // Official website of the AIFC Court. URL: https://court.aifc.kz/regulations-rules/ (accessed on 20 July 2026).
AIFC Court Rules 2018 // Official website of the AIFC Court. URL: https://court.aifc.kz/regulations- rules/ (accessed 20 July 2026).
Foreign legislation (used for comparative legal analysis)
Equality Act 2010 (UK), Public General Acts, c. 15 — used for a comparative legal analysis of the concepts of direct and indirect discrimination.
Academic and specialist literature
Features of labour regulation in the AIFC // WE Legal: expert opinion. 2022. URL: https://welegal.kz/ru/ekspertnoe-mnenie/publikaczii/trudovoe-regulirovanie-aifc/ (accessed 20 July 2026).
Campbell-Holt, C. A Modern Business Climate in Kazakhstan: Dispute Resolution Services at the AIFC Court and International Arbitration Centre // China International Commercial Court (CICC). URL: https://cicc.court.gov.cn/html/1/219/199/203/2280.html (accessed 20 July 2026).
AIFC Court as Your Dispute Resolution Forum: What You Need to Know // Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, LawFlash. 26 January 2022. URL: https://www.morganlewis.com/pubs/2022/01/aifc-court-as-your- dispute-resolution-forum-what- you-need-to-know (accessed 20 July 2026).
On the Court and Arbitration at the Astana International Financial Centre // Chambers and Partners. URL:https://chambers.com/articles/on-the-court-and-arbitration-at-the-astana- international- financial-center (accessed 20 July 2026).
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ruslan Udras
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