BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

03/04/2006

ILO warns Belarus government is trying to eliminate independent unions

The International Labour Organisation has called on the Belarus government to consult with the UN agency over its planned new trade union law and has warned the world that the government there is trying to completely eliminate independent unions.

The ILO wants to be able to offer advice to ensure any new law conforms to international labour standards and takes into account the recommendations of a recent Commission of Inquiry into the labour situation in Belarus.

The ILO's Governing Body approved the reports of its Committee on Freedom of Association, which looked at the situations in Colombia, Myanmar and Nepal as well as Belarus.

In the case of Belarus the ILO Committee "expressed its deep concern that, rather than making good faith efforts to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, the Government was on a path to eliminating all remnants of an independent trade union in Belarus, apparently hoping that in this way there in effect would be no further sources of complaint".

The ILO is urging the Belarus government in the strongest terms "to take appropriate and concrete measures immediately so as to ensure that workers may form and join organisations outside the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (the FPB) freely and without pressure or intimidation on the part of enterprise management or the public authorities".

The ILO wants to consider the draft new labour law before it is placed before the Belarus parliament for adoption.

The Government Body also endorsed the call from the Committee on Freedom of Association to the Nepal authorities to carry out an independent investigation into allegations of ill-treatment of detainees, arrest and threats of arrest - and to take steps to ensure that union leaders may freely exercise their union rights.

The ILO wants to send a mission to the country - where a royal coup on February 1 2005 toppled the democratic government - to promote "the full implementation of freedom of association".

The ILO acknowledges efforts by the Colombian government to improve protection for union officials and speed up investigations but has called on it to "take all possible measures to put an end to the acts of violence against trade union officials and to continue vigorously the investigations that have already begun".

The Colombian Government has set up a specialized sub-unit within the National Public Prosecutor's Office to look at case of human rights violations involving trade unionists and the ILO is call for information on progress being made.

In Myanmar the military government is again being urged by the ILO to pass laws guaranteeing freedom of association to all workers and employers and to protect worker and employer organisations from any interference by the authorities - including the army.

The ILO's Committee wants an independent inquiry into the death of Saw Mya Than and the immediate release of Myo Aung Thant.

Source:

http://www.union-network.org/uniflashes.nsf/0/FCB6799E99ECBD34C125714500452F27?OpenDocument

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