In a recent appeal, a group of United Nations human rights experts has strongly urged the Belarusian government to cease its crackdown on independent trade unions and adhere to international labor standards. The call to action comes in response to ongoing violations of trade unionists’ rights, with the experts emphasizing the need for Belarus to collaborate with the UN and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to safeguard the rights of trade union figures.
The group of five Special Rapporteurs has explicitly called for the immediate release of all trade union leaders and members currently imprisoned for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association. The Rapporteurs noted that Belarusian authorities have been dismantling independent unions by labeling them as “extremist organizations” and prosecuting their members using national security legislation. Reports of unionists being jailed, exiled, or tried in absentia were highlighted, alongside concerns regarding the mistreatment and inadequate medical care of detainees. The experts also invoked ILO Article 33 that allows for collective action by member states when a country fails to meet ILO obligations consistently.
According to a UN report from 2024, nearly all independent civil society organizations in Belarus have been dissolved over the past few years. The state-aligned Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB) remains the only operational national trade union, but its lack of independence is a point of criticism. Workers in Belarus are reportedly unable to freely join or form unions or engage in meaningful collective bargaining.
Belarusian officials refuted the accusations, maintaining that actions against unionists were directed at criminal activities rather than peaceful organizing. They pointed to the existence of 28,000 registered unions to underscore the robust state of labor rights in the country, and criticized international monitoring as undue interference.
Belarus is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which upholds freedoms of expression, assembly, and association. Despite this, the ILO has been monitoring Belarus since 2004, citing consistent breaches of core labor conventions.
As this situation unfolds, the UN experts argue that the repression of union activities forms part of a broader suppression of dissent within Belarus, contravening its international legal commitments.
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