The Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) has adopted the following position on the issue of membership of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan (FTUU) in the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
The BKDP is an independent trade union association of Belarus, founded by workers in 1993 and dissolved in 2022 by a decision of the Supreme Court, it continues its activities from abroad. More than 30 leaders and activists of independent trade unions are now in the custody of the Lukashenko regime. Our leader Aliaksandr Yarashuk, vice-president of the ITUC and member of the ILO Governing Body, is also still imprisoned.
The BKDP, as an association of independent trade unions in Belarus, bases its work on the principles of trade union democracy, strict observance of the rights and freedoms of workers and trade unions and the ILO conventions.
For us, one of the founding organisations of the ITUC, double standards are unacceptable; we fight for the implementation of basic workers' rights in our country and in the world.
Following the meeting of the General Council of the ITUC in Brasilia, the BKDP deems it necessary to declare the following:
1. We firmly believe that the FTUU, as well as the other trade union confederations in the region that are members of the General Confederation of Trade Unions, must decide with whom they want to build the future together - with belligerent Russia and dictatorial Belarus or with the ITUC;
2. As long as the conditions set out in the decision of the General Council are not met, no decision can be taken on the admission of the FTUU. We should also take into account the decision of the ILO experts on the IUF complaint on freedom of association in Uzbekistan;
3. The ITUC General Council should continue to monitor the situation in the region together with the GUFs and take all exhaustive measures to promote trade union democracy.
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