Alyaksandr Yarashuk: Dialogue between Belarusian authorities and ILO rolled back
- 3.11.2009, 14:31
The head of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions said the dialogue between the Belarusian authorities and the International Labour Organization was being rolled back.
According to the Congress head Alyaksandr Yarashuk, executive director of the ILO International Labour Bureau Kari Tapiola noticed this tendency during his visit to Belarus.
“Almost six months have passed since the ILO conference in June, but the Belarusian government doesn’t make any steps to improve the situation with independent trade unions and fulfil the ILO recommendations. Kari Tapiola paid a visit to negotiate with all parties concerned in order not to allow the Belarus–ILO dialogue to be stopped or rolled back. But what we see after the June ILO conference is rolling up the dialogue,” “Belorusski Partizan” quotes Yarashuk.
“The visit seems to be successful. In any case, the Council at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection will have a session soon. The Council session, scheduled for October 28, wasn’t held and was delayed for an indefinite term. It is to be carried out in the nearest time. We will introduce the new facts of pressure upon independent trade unions and other urgent issues for consideration of the Council,” the trade union leader stated.
The Congress head also said the Belarusian issue wouldn’t be a separate item on the agenda of a session of the ILO Administrative Council scheduled for November 8, but as the Belarusian problem has been in everyone's mouth for the last ten years, it will be discussed.
“I have arranged this with Yevgeny Sidorov, the international secretary of the Independent Trade Union Federation of Russia, who is a member of the Administrative Council, that we will keep in touch during the session,” Yarashuk noted.
We remind that the ILO made 12 conditions for the Belarusian authorities to improve the situation with independent trade unions. Restoring Belarus in the EU Generalized System of Preferences depends on fulfilment of the conditions.
