Protest rally of workers held in Minsk (Photo)
- 8.10.2009, 13:30
Activists of the Democratic Trade Unions Congress have held a rally dedicated to World Day of Struggle for Decent Labor in the Park of 50th anniversary of October.
Members of the Belarusian Radio and Electronic Workers Union (REWU) also came to 50th Anniversary of October Park. They had also applied for holding a meeting there. But officials authorized this action only to the Democratic Trade Unions Congress. As informed by Radio Svaboda, officials offered to carry out monitoring of labour conditions at Belarusian enterprises instead of the meeting on that day.
The total number of participants was about several hundreds.
A resolution was adopted at the meeting. Among the main issues of the resolution is cancellation of the Decree № 29. It was the decree which introduced contractual employment system in Belarus 10 years ago. As a result of that, hundreds of people lost job because of their political views and on other reasons, but not because of violation of labour discipline.
In the statement of the Belarusian Democratic Trade Unions Congress, disseminated on the day before the meeting, it was noted that most enterprises of Belarus work part-time working week. “Workers are forced to take leaves without payment. Salaries in Belarus are tree-four times lower than in the Baltic states, and 1.5 times lower than in Russia. Social protection of workers who were injured or developed work-related diseases, is not guaranteed. Unemployment payment is less than $20. Prices for food products, municipal facilities, medical services and education are constantly growing,” the statement reads.
Besides, the Belarusian Democratic Trade Unions Congress attracts attention to the fact that Belarusian citizens “cannot freely create trade unions t defend and represent their legal rights and interests”. Despite of the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and cancellation of trade preferences to the country by the EU, violations of the rights of independent trade unions and workers continue, the document stressed.
The official trade unions headed by Leanid Kozik were not present at the meeting. Policemen observed the rally from a distance of about several metres from under a roof. They warned the organisers that they should not have flags of the Belarusian Radio and Electronic Workers Union there.
The World Day for Decent Work is celebrated on October 7 on the initiative of the International Trade Union Confederation, an influential trade union association, which consists of 170 mln workers from 312 trade union centres in 150 countries. The Belarusian Democratic Trade Unions Congress is a member of the International Trade Union Confederation since 2003.