Schendingen van vakbondsrechten zijn zo ernstig dat de onafhankelijke vakcentrale BKDP radicale beslissingen zegt te gaan nemen, zoals de opschorting van het lidmaatschap in de Nationale Raad voor Arbeid en Sociale Aangelegenheden.

Bron: www.charter97.org

“Our organizations and members still suffer pressure in some places, there still exists discrimination against belonging to trade unions. Moreover, pressure upon the organization of the Congress has been growing during the last months, when the government was declaring its interest in developing a dialogue with the ILO. Independent trade unions of Grodno Azot and Naftan companies were denied signing collective contracts, members of the independent trade union at the Mozyr oil refinery and members of the Free Belarusian Trade Union in Brest State University were pressed to make them leave the organizations. Leader of the Free Belarusian Trade Union Alyaksei Habriel was refused prolonging of the labour contract with the district power station in Lukoml.

The last flagrant fact is an attack on members of the Free Trade Union of Brest Belarusian State University. The administration forced almost all members of the trade union to quit the organization under threats of firing, problems when receiving academic ranks.

All these facts prove that another planned campaign aimed at elimination of independent trade unions in Belarus is going on,” the statement of the Congress Council says.

The independent trade unions lay the blame for the current situation on the government.

“The government is responsible for the consequences of the recent aggravation in the state of independent trade unions. We demand that urgent measures on all above mentioned violations of our rights should be taken and the guilty should be brought to responsibility. If the measures are not taken in the nearest time, we will regard the government’s activities on developing a dialogue with the ILO as demonstrating double standards, setting that don’t change the essence of the aggressive policy of the Belarusian state towards independent trade unions.

If the Belarusian authorities don’t take further responsible steps to fulfil the ILO’s recommendations, the Congress may suspend membership of its representatives in the National Council on Labour and Social Issues and recall its representatives from the Council on Developing Social and Labour Legislation under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection with all ensuing political consequences, including regard to a possibility of returning EU trade preferences. In the current situation we reserve the right to take any measures, allowed by the Constitution of Belarus and international legal norms, in the country and abroad to secure our organization and their members,” the statement says.