BAKU | July 17, 2025 — A growing number of first-year university students in Azerbaijan have come forward to protest a controversial and opaque practice: monthly deductions of 3 manats from their state-issued stipends, allegedly as mandatory dues to student trade unions — without their consent or prior knowledge.
With over 180,000 students currently enrolled in Azerbaijani universities — around 70,000 of them under state-funded education and some 35,000 receiving monthly stipends — the scale of the issue is substantial. If the deduction applies broadly, trade unions may be collecting more than 100,000 manats per month from student stipends alone.
Education expert Elmin Nuri explains that while student unions exist worldwide, their legitimacy depends on two core principles: voluntary membership and transparency.
“Unions in education, medicine, and other sectors are meant to operate on a voluntary basis. They must be built on clear, opt-in mechanisms and open disclosure about how funds are used,” he said.
Student unions, in theory, are supposed to offer members various services — such as legal aid, travel subsidies, material support, and general advocacy for student welfare. But critics argue that in practice, Azerbaijani student unions often function as passive bureaucracies, with little visible benefit for their so-called members.
More troubling is the method of enrollment. Many students report being automatically enrolled upon matriculation, with no explanation or opportunity to opt out. According to legal expert Akram Hasanov, this violates both national law and constitutional rights.
“This practice is absolutely illegal — both ethically and legally,” Hasanov stated. “Membership in any union must be voluntary. Without a signed consent form, any deductions from stipends or salaries are unconstitutional.”
Hasanov emphasized that the Constitution of Azerbaijan and the country’s Law on Trade Unions both explicitly mandate voluntary participation.
“Voluntary means the person must write a formal application stating their wish to join. Anything else is coercion,” he said.
He also raised concerns about where the money goes.
“What happens to those funds remains a mystery. Occasionally, students receive vacation vouchers, but there’s no transparency or fairness in how benefits are distributed,” Hasanov added.
Importantly, both students and university employees have the right to request a full refund of these deductions — with 5% annual interest. Hasanov encourages affected individuals to take legal action if necessary.
The case reflects deeper issues in Azerbaijan’s higher education system, where students often feel sidelined in decisions that directly affect them. As the controversy unfolds, calls are mounting for universities and trade unions to clarify their policies, adopt opt-in procedures, and offer full accounting of how student money is spent.
Whether this leads to real reform remains to be seen — but for now, students are demanding one thing: choice.
