District court in Minsk refuses to reinstate unionist in his job with air traffic control company :: Charter'97 :: News

A judge of Minsk’s district court on Tuesday threw out an unlawful dismissal suit filed by the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BCDTU) that demanded that a labor union activist be reinstated in his job with full back pay.

Oleg Dolbik, an air traffic controller with the Belaeronavigatsiya state-owned enterprise, was dismissed on October 1 after the employer refused to offer him a contract extension. He requested the BCDTU for legal assistance, insisting that his trade union activities prompted his dismissal.

Mr. Dolbik was deputy chairman of the Belaeronavigatsiya cell of the Democratic Trade Union of Transport Workers, which is affiliated to the BCDTU. Formerly, he was vice president of the Belarusian Trade Union of Air Traffic Controllers, an organization dissolved by the Supreme Court’s ruling this past August.

The BCDTU contended that the 39-year-old Dolbik is reputed to be one of the best air traffic controllers in Belarus who served in this job for 18 years and had no reprimands.

However, the judge took sides with the employer and dismissed the suit.

As Mr. Dolbik said in an interview with BelaPAN, he had expected such a ruling. The unionist expressed determination to appeal the decision to higher courts.

The BCDTU is set to complain about the dismissal to the International Labor Organization. The latter has recently given Belarus’ authorities until June 1, 2005 to implement its recommendation that all trade union activists should be guaranteed protection from harassment.