Belarus' trade unions: Sanctions curtail the right to work and decent living
MINSK, 1 February (BelTA) – Sanctions restrict the right to work, decent living, health, education and development, reads a letter sent by the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus to the Workers' Group of the Governing Body of the International Labor Organization (ILO). The address was adopted in the wake of the EU sanctions against Belarusian enterprises, BelTA learned from the press service of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus.
The federation explained that the ILO is responsible for the development and observance of international labor standards. The main goal of the organization is to promote full employment, protect labor rights and remove artificial barriers that restrict a person's right to work. The ILO brings together governments, employers and workers representatives of 187 member states that have an equal footing in the organization. The interests of Belarusian workers in the International Labor Organization are represented by the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus.
“The Federation of Trade Unions is constantly working to defend the interests of workers. First of all, this pertains to the issues related to employment and salaries. For example, every year trade unions help reinstate more than 100 illegally dismissed employees through courts. The continuous work to improve the national labor legislation is meant to enable everyone to make the most of their right to work. However, today we see that this right of our citizens is limited by the European Union,” the federation emphasized.
The UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council have repeatedly stressed in their resolutions that unilateral coercive measures are contrary to international law, the UN Charter, as well as the norms and principles governing peaceful relations between states. “Moreover, it is internationally recognized that limiting the ability to work, including through sanctions, has a negative impact on the implementation of human rights to life, freedom from hunger, an adequate standard of living, food, education, work and housing, the right to health and medical care, personal growth. Therefore, we turned for support to the Workers' Group of the Governing Body of the International Labor Organization, which mission is to defend labor, social and economic rights of workers,” the Federation of Trade Unions added.
Today, employees of organizations and enterprises of the country continue signing an open collective letter against the sanctions. In addition, the position of the Federation of Trade Unions on the inadmissibility of sanctions is shared by the country's political parties. In particular, the Republican Party of Labor and Justice strongly supports the Federation of Trade Unions' appeal to the International Labor Organization and considers it timely. “The economic sanctions affect living standards of our citizens, undermine the social and economic development of our country,” the political party stressed.
The Communist Party of Belarus doubles down on this: “This is nothing but an attempt to destabilize the situation in the country by destroying the Belarusian manufacturing industry and its economy in general.”
The Liberal Democratic Party, which has more than 50,000 members, also insists on the inadmissibility of sanctions. “We are convinced that every politician, every Belarusian, regardless of political views, should defend the national interests and statehood of their country. Any calls for sanctions can only be viewed as a betrayal of the interests of the country,” the Supreme Council and the Central Committee of the Liberal Democratic Party said in a statement.
