ILO Set to Track Workers’ Rights Violations in Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

Infringements on workers’ rights in Belarus will be again in the spotlight of attention of the 90th session of the International Labor Organization (ILO), which is due to open this June in Geneva. According to the Federation of the Belarusian trade unions, this news was spread by the executive director of the department for norms, fundamental principles and rights of the ILO Mr.Tapiola, speaking at the forum “East-East: major legal norms”, held last week in Kiev.

“We’d like to hear from the Belarusian government about their fulfillment of the ILO recommendations on the observance of international labor standards,” – said Tapiola. Deputy chair of the Federation, responsible for international issues Oleg Podolinsky told the delegates about the situation with the trade unionist rights in Belarus. Among other things Podolinsky pointed at the continued state interference into the financial activities and interior affairs of the trade unions.

As claimed by Podolinsky, the Belarusian authorities continually refuse to keep to the last year’s ILO recommendations. So far the government hasn’t informed the ILO leadership as to the measures, undertaken to deal with the existing violations. As noted at the Kiev forum, Belarus tops the list of the European violators of labor rights.