Independent Trade Unions Could Not Attend Belarusian Trade Unions Federation Congress :: Charter'97 :: News

Another congress of the Trade Union Federation of Belarus has started in Minsk. The leadership of the organization plans to adopt the programme of action for the five years, and to hold re-election of the FTUB head. Representatives of the independent trade union movement were not invited to take part in the forum.

Among other questions, a discussion over the necessity of the new statutory wording of the Law on Trade Unions is to take place. The leadership of the federation promised that representatives of the Belarusian congress of democratic trade unions would be allowed to take part in law elaboration. However, it is unknown whether this cooperation is possible, the chairman of the independent movement Alyaksandr Yarashuk said.

“Certainly, it is a matter of near consequence to us to participate, taking into consideration what changes to the law are planned by them. If their position would be a constructive one, we would welcome and support it. But if some manipulations would take place, we certainly would oppose,” Yarashuk said to radio Svaboda.

According to A.Yarashuk, the changes in the law on trade unions are likely to touch upon the questions of rent charge, financial deductibles, registration and others. However, the leader of the independent trade union of radio electronic industry Henadz Fyadynich does not exclude that the leadership of the Federation would try to limit activities of independent trade unions by that law.

The fact that during the opening of the congress Leanid Kozik spoke about confrontation with trade union opponents, and the representatives of independent trade unions were not invited to participate in the forum,” Henadz Fyadynich said.

“Today FTUB is a branch of the establishment. That is why its work is mostly for show. It is not aimed at defence of the rights of workers. The contracts will be forgotten, as well as other forms of violation of the rights of workers. It would be said that we have a perfect situation, and that social partnership is taking place. And perhaps it would be said that the Federation must influence on all trade unions and enterprises, so that there would be no independent democratic trade unions,” the leader of the trade union of radioelectronic industry said.