Piatkevich is daydreaming

The bill “On trade unions” was compiled in full accordance with all the conventions that Belarus takes part in, Vice Head of president’s administration Natallia Piatkevich told BelaPAN.

“The bill is complete and it is to be considered by the Parliament during the autumn session,” N. Piatkevich said. She added that technical consultations with the ILO representatives had been held during the elaboration of the bill. As for the critical remarks made by the ILO on the bill, Piatkevich said, “anything can be criticized. But the point is that the bill must meet the world standards, international and Belarusian law.”

According to N.Piatkevich, the Belarusian delegation is to take part in the session of the ILO Administrative Council in November. “The bill on trade unions will not be discussed there. That’s an interior question of our country,” the Vice Head of president’s administration said.

Executive Director of the ILO International Labour Bureau (ILO ILB) Kari Tapiola said June 23 in Minsk at a meeting with journalists that the ILB was working on a unofficial evaluating document on the bill ”On trade unions.” The document says many issues of the bill are equivocal. According to K. Tapiola, “the fact of the state control over trade unions is much-questioned”. “The bill on trade unions elaborated by the Belarusian government in its present variant will cause difficulties for all trade unions including the Belarusian Federation of Trade Unions,” K. Tapiola remarked. He also emphasized that the ILO is particularly concerned about the possibility of meeting 12 recommendations of the ILO commission that investigated the violations of trade unions rights in Belarus. The present variant of the document doesn’t touch upon that, K. Tapiola said.