Authorities replay for trade unions in spring

Director General’ Office of the International Labour Organization (ILO) “welcomes the intentions of the Belarusian government” to fulfil the ILO’s recommendations on the problems of legislative control of trade unions’ activity. It is said in the statement of ILO’s Director General’ Office on results of examination of Belarusian issue at ILO forum in Geneva 14 November.

The report on fulfilment of 11 ILO’s recommendations by Belarus, presented by Uladzimer Patupchyk, minister of labour and social protection, and the report on the same subject by International Labour Organisation were read on the forum, BelaPAN reports.

As it was noted in the final statement, “all trade unions should act freely and demand putting the laws into practice.” As ILO is waiting for Belarusian government to act and advance in this direction, so the decision was taken to discuss the situation in Belarus again on spring ILO session in March 2008.

According to Kari Tapiola, ILO's Executive Director, “though the Belarusian government hasn’t fulfilled all ILO’s recommendations yet, including the proposal to improve the acting law on trade unions instead of working out a new draft law, it has changed the terms and approaches to the problem.”

We remind, that in 2003 the ILO’s Director General’ Office decided on beginning the investigation in relation to Belarus on complain of independent trade unions. The special commission was analysing the fulfilment of ILO’s Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention by Belarusian government. The situation in Belarus was also discussed on meeting of ILO’s Committee on Norms and Standards in frames of 95th International Labour Conference in Geneva. As a result Belarus was for the fifth time included into the special section of the ILC report as a country, where rights of trade unions are violated.