The 112th International Labour Conference in Geneva (Switzerland) elected the political prisoner and leader of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) Aliaksandr Yarashuk a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
ILC delegates have voted for Aliaksandr Yarashuk to hold the post of the ILO GB substitute member from the Workers’ Group. They know that Yarashuk is serving his 4-year prison term in Mohiliev, convicted on trumped-up charges.
During the meeting of the ILC Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS), the name of Yarashuk, like the names of other imprisoned union leaders, was repeatedly mentioned when the “Belarusian issue” was examined. Some of the Conference participants supported Yarashuk, wearing T-shirts with his picture and the slogan “Release Union Activists”.
The election of Yarashuk is more than just a symbolic gesture. The release of trade union leaders, including the BKDP President, is one of the demands of the ILO Resolution on Belarus.
The Governing Body is the executive body of the ILO taking operating decisions for the implementation of the Conference resolutions, managing and supervising activities of the International Labour Office between the Conference sessions.
The International Labour Conference elects members of the Governing Body for the period of three years. The elections are run separately for the three constituent groups through secret ballot with the Governments’, Employers’, and Workers’ Groups electing their own GB members.