Aliaksandr Jarashuk: Disdain of independent trade unions is the typical feature of Belarusan regime

When telling about protection of labor in Belarus, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs “forgot” to mention the urgent problems of independent trade unions.

Let us recall that recently Belarusan Foreign Ministry has drawn a report for undergoing Universal Periodic Review within the UN system.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique mechanism of the Human Rights Council (HRC) aimed at improving the human rights situation on the ground of each of the 193 United Nations (UN) Member States. The result of each review is reflected in an “outcome report” listing the recommendations the State under review will have to implement before the next review.

The UPR is a constant reminder to the states about the need to fulfill their obligations in the sphere of human rights and freedoms. The main goal of the UPR is to improve situation in human rights sphere in all countries and fight with violations in any part of the world.

Earlier the EuroBelarus Information Service has provided opinions of the lawyer Andrei Sushko and others on the issue.

These opinions concerned legal assessment of the situation described in the report and the work that is being carried out. However, special provision in the document is dedicated to guaranteeing the right to work and creation of favorable working conditions in Belarus. Still, the document prepared by the Foreign Ministry notes that the state policy in the sphere of assistance of people’s employment is aimed at providing equal opportunities for all citizens.

“The state actively cooperates with the trade unions and unions of employers on the problem of discovering and suppressing labor violations and on protection of labor”, - the report says. It also marks that in 2014 a visit of International Labour Organization (ILO) direct contact mission to Belarus took place. In result of consultations with the bodies of state administration, trade unions, and unions of employers the mission elaborated suggestions for the further development of social dialog in the country.

“EuroBelarus” Information Service asked Aliaksandr Jarashuk, the head of Belarusian Congress Of Democratic Trade Unions (BCDTU) to comment on the successes in the sphere of cooperation between the state and the trade unions.

- It is enough to address just one example – the fate of the Free Belarusan Trade Union members at the “Bobruisk plant of tractor parts and units”, where over the last time we could observe unqualified discrimination against this trade union and its members. The plant got the direction from the administration to dismiss all members of the Free Trade Union. If the Foreign Ministry says these are “equal opportunities”, what is “discrimination” then? There is a collective agreement at the plant that is of discriminatory nature, too, and violates both the Constitution and the Trade Code. Whereas Free Trade Union is rejected in opportunity to sign the collective agreement, which is signed only by the Trade Union of Selkhozmash only, the members of which get all social benefits. Of course, the members of the Free Trade Union don’t have access to these benefits, which is discrimination against adherence to certain trade union. All that is produced at a plant is created by the members of different trade unions and by those who are not such. Whereas the employer has no right to distribute social benefits selectively, discriminating people and forcing them to enter the state trade union. If the Foreign Ministry believes this is normal, I can only shrug my shoulders.

As it is noted in the report, in January 2014 Belarus welcomed International Labour Organization (ILO) direct contact mission. However, it is not said there that in June 2014 Belarus was registered in special paragraph. After that Belarusan authorities had to agree to at least held seminars on concluding collective treaties prescribed by the ILO since the situation in our country isn’t getting any better.

Complete disdain of independent trade unions remains to be the typical feature of Belarusan regime for 15 years already. During this time Belarus has been registered in special paragraph for 7 times and lost trade preferences of the EU, which, taking into account the current crisis, could have been of much use for our country.