Trade unions in Belarus

Trade unions in Belarus are legally independent under International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions since 1956.[1] In the early twenty-first century, Belarusian trade unions were subject to harassment and intimidation from government authorities.[1] New trade unions and local unions were created with help from the ProfSoyuz Online working group of the Coordination Council during the 2020 Belarusian protests starting in mid-September 2020.[2][3][4]

## Twentieth century

[edit]

Belarus ratified the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 87, the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, and ILO Convention No. 98, the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949, in 1956.[1]

## Early twenty-first century

[edit]

The International Centre for Trade Union Rights (ICTUR) stated that independent trade unions in Belarus had formal rights but difficulties in operating practically, with "considerable harassment and intimidation". An ILO commission visited Belarus in 2004 in response to concerns about unions' rights. The ICTU judged the problems to have been insufficiently resolved, commenting on police raids in 2017 against three people active in independent Belarusian trade unions.[1]

Around 2018, the biggest trade union coalitions in Belarus were the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FPB), with 4 million members, affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions, and the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), with 9000 members, affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation.[1]

## 2020 protests

[edit]

### ProfSoyuz Online

[edit]

In mid-September 2020,[2][3] during the 2020 Belarusian protests that followed the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, the Coordination Council created a working group, ProfSoyuz Online, for encouraging the creation of independent unions, along with seven other working groups.[4] The online activities of the working group, founded by Marina Vorobei (Russian: Марина Воробей), aim to provide Belarusians interested in creating trade union locals within the existing Belarusian legal framework with information, with help in contacting others with similar interests in creating locals, and with contacts to existing trade unions. The online service is run by human volunteers and chatbots.[2] Volunteers provide help to people wishing to create their own locals or trade unions.[3]

As of 21 October 2020[update], local unions had been created in affiliation with 25 independent unions[2] in 60 companies in 20 towns with the help of ProfSoyuz Online.[5] In Naftan, 2500 quit the government-associated trade union and 500 joined the independent one. In two factories in Grodno, Accent (Russian: Акцент) and Conte (Russian: Конте), all the employees quit the government union and created locals affiliated with independent trade unions. Doctors in Minsk created a health worker local union called "White Robes".[5]

### Independent unions

[edit]

Marina Vorobei of ProfSoyuz Online stated in October 2020 that independent trade unions existing as of mid-October 2020 included the Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BNP), the Belarus Free Trade Union (SPB), the Belarusian Trade Union of Radioelectronic Industry Workers (REP), and the Free Trade Union of Metalworkers.[2]

At least three workers of Byelorussian Steel Works (BMZ) were fired in early 2021 after trying to organize local branch of Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BNP).[6][7]

## See also

[edit]

* Belarus Free Trade Union

* Organized labour portal

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "Belarus". International Centre for Trade Union Rights. 2018. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
2. ^ a b c d e "В Беларуси работает платформа "Профсоюз онлайн". Через нее можно создать независимый профсоюз" [The platform 'Trade Union Online' is active in Belarus. You can create an independent trade union using it.]. Marketing.by (in Russian). 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
3. ^ a b c Alshevsky, Jan (19 October 2020). "В Беларуси работает онлайн-платформа профсоюзов. В профсоюз могут вступить и айтишники" [There's an online platform for trade unions in Belarus. Information technology workers can join trade unions.]. Onliner (in Russian). Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
4. ^ a b "Рабочие группы" [Working groups]. Coordination Council (in Russian). 16 October 2020. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
5. ^ a b ""Профсоюз Online" помог создать новые первичные организации в 20 городах" ['Trade Union Online' helped to create new local unions in 20 towns]. Coordination Council (in Russian). 21 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
6. ^ Двух работников крупного предприятия, которые пытались создать независимый профсоюз, уволили
7. ^ Руководство Жлобинского БМЗ расправляется с профсоюзными активистами

## External links

[edit]

* ProfSoyuz Online website

* v
* t
* e

Belarusian opposition

Protests|

* Minsk Spring
* Freedom March
* Jeans Revolution
* 2010 protests
* 2011 protests
* Teddybear Airdrop Minsk 2012
* 2017 protests
* 2020–2021 protests
* human rights issues
* related deaths
* international reactions

| Annual|

* Freedom Day
* Chernobyl Way
* Day of Solidarity with Belarus

|

Organisations|

* Tell the Truth!
* Charter 97
* Belarus Free Theatre
* Belarus Solidarity Foundation
* Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic
* Viasna Human Rights Centre
* Nexta
* Cyber Partisans
* Community of Railway Workers of Belarus
* Busly liaciać
* BYPOL

Coordination
Council|

| Head|

* Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

|

Presidium|

* Svetlana Alexievich
* Sergei Dylevsky
* Pavel Latushko
* Maria Kalesnikava
* Olga Kovalkova
* Liliya Vlasova
* Maxim Znak

NAM|

| Head|

* Pavel Latushko

|

Team|

* deputy head + foreign policy: Vladzimir Astapenka

United
Transitional
Cabinet|

| Head|

* Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

|

Members|

* transfer of power: Pavel Latushko
* law and order: (Aug 2022–Aug 2023: Aliaksandr Azarau)
* foreign relations: Valery Kavaleuski
* deputy: Vladzimir Astapenka
* defence and security: Aug 2022–Aug 2024: Valery Sakhashchyk, Aug 2024–present: Vadzim Kabanchuk
* finance, economy: (Sep–Oct 2022: Tatsiana Zaretskaya)
* national revival: Alina Koushyk
* social issues: Volha Harbunova
* youth policy: Marharyta Vorychava

Other people|

* Vitold Ashurak
* Viktar Babaryka
* Ales Bialiatski
* Mikalai Khalezin
* Ihar Losik
* Roman Protasevich
* Mikola Statkevich
* Ivonka Survilla
* Alexander Taraikovsky
* Sergei Tikhanovsky
* Valery Tsepkalo
* Veronika Tsepkalo
* Andrei Zeltser

See also|

* Belarusian partisan movement
* Rail war in Belarus
* New Belarus passport
* White-red-white flag

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template