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BELGIAN UNIONS SUPPORT BELARUS WORKERS:
Belarus Ambassador in Belgium Confirms That
Lukashenko Violates Union Rights
October 6, Brussels. In the framework of the
international solidarity campaign with Belarus trade unions
National Secretary of IUF affiliated Food and Allied Workers'
Union CCAS Frans Dirix and the National Secretary of the FGTB
confederation Rudy De Leeuw visited Belarus ambassador in
Brussels to give him a letter of protest addressed to Belarus
president Lukashenko. Presidents of both Belgian trade union
confederations – CSC and FGTB – have signed the protest
letter on behalf of their 2.800.000 total membership.
Unionists expected that the ambassador will deny the violation
of union rights in Belarus and try to defend the President,
but they found that he holds an own opinion.
According to the members of trade union
delegation, the ambassador was glad to receive them in the
Embassy. He said most of the protest letters are being
received in the Embassy by mail or by fax but he had no chance
to discuss the issue. He confirmed the facts stated in the
letter to President Lukashenko and said that it shall take
some more time for changes in his country. He expressed his
believes that after the coming elections opposition parties in
Belarus will be able to change the way President Lukashenko
treats the unions.
Trade unionists stated that Belgian unions
will not limit their campaign by just one visit to the Embassy
but will carefully observe the developments in Belarus and are
ready to undertake other actions in support of Belarus union
if the situation will not change for the better.
The Ambassador invited Belgian unions to send
formal delegation to Belarus under his personal protection to
meet President Lukashenko and observe the coming elections.
“Belarus is a totally isolated country, please come to our
country to help us to find out how we can work in a more
democratic way”...
Members of the delegation replied that Belgian
unions would act in the framework and observe the situation
via international organizations, such as IUF, ICFTU and ILO.
Appendix
To: Mr. Alexander Lukashenko
President, Republic of Belarus
Fax: +375 17 2 26 06 10
Concerns: Violation of Workers’ Rights in
Belarus
Mr. President,
On behalf of our confederations, defending the
rights of 2.800.000 members in Belgium, we wish
to protest your government’s interference in trade union
activities and the attempted intimidation of trade union
officers in Belarus.
The government of Belarus has ratified ILO
Conventions 87 and 98, thereby committing itself to ensure
freedom of association and collective bargaining. However
these rights are being systematically violated in several
respects:
-
Registration requirements for trade unions
are so onerous that in practice it is virtually impossible
for many trade union organizations to obtain registration.
-
The right to strike is effectively denied
by highly restrictive legal requirements.
-
Employees who take part in legitimate
trade union activities are being dismissed or threatened
with dismissal.
-
The state is interfering in trade union
activities. Enterprise directors and ministry officials
are trying to manipulate trade union conferences in order
to ensure the elections of their handpicked candidates.
Specific violations of this type took place at
the Third Congress of the Agrocomplex Workers’ Union of
Belarus, which met on 12 July. Before the Congress, the State
Presidential Administration ordered the Ministry of
Agriculture and secret police (KGB) to replace the leader of
the union. Public authorities tried to manipulate the process
of electing delegates. Local organizations of the union were
coerced to elect representatives of state authorities as
congress delegates. Other elected delegates received threats
that they must vote for the Minister of Agriculture as an
alternative candidate to the current chairperson of the union.
One delegate was called at 6 A.M. to a government agency where
he was told to either abstain from the Congress or to vote in
line with the agency’s given recommendations.
While fortunately these manipulations failed
to disrupt the union’s congress or force it to abandon its
strong support for land reform, nevertheless they constitute
substantial violations of workers and trade union rights as
set forth in the basic principles of the International Labor
Organization.
Similar illegal attempts by government
representatives to influence election to union offices took
place at the Third Congress of the Belarus Automobile and
Agricultural Machinery Workers' Union held in Minsk on
September 6-7, and again at the Congress of the Belarus
Radio&Electronic Workers' Union on September 20. As in the
case of Agrocomplex, Congress delegates rebuffed these efforts
and voted democratically for the candidates of their choice.
Most recently, on September 27 the bank
account of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus was
closed as the union was making final preparations for its
congress scheduled for October 10. National union leaders are
now being threatened with criminal charges.
Against this background we demand that you:
-
Stop your government’s violations of
trade union rights
-
End the attacks on trade union officials
who have been elected by union members through a
legitimate democratic process
-
Cease your government’s interference in
trade union activities in Belarus
-
Respect internationally recognized
standards and international law relating to human rights
and, specifically, the right to freedom of association
We also wish to inform you that our
confederations will be fully supporting the formal complaint
made to the ILO by trade unions from Belarus in relation to
the above issues.
Our organizations are committed to closely
monitor developments in Belarus as they affect the rights of
workers and unions. We will be informing our members and the
international community in general of any continuing attacks
by your government on the basic freedoms that are so essential
in a truly democratic and developing society.
Luc Cortebeeck,
President, ACV-CSC
Mia De Vits,
President, ABVV-FGTB
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