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16 October, 2000The BFTU Congress was a critical moment to show the administration of the Belarus president the trade unions' determination to remain independent.
BELARUS: Faced with the Belarus trade unions' growing unity and determination to maintain their independence, as well as the significant solidarity support from the international trade union movement, the administration of President Alexander Lukashenko did not attempt to control the BFTU congress, as it had earlier with those of the branch trade unions.
Vladimir Goncharik, the incumbent president of the Belarus Federation of Trade Unions, was unanimously re-elected to lead the federation for the next five years. He said that the unions had many reasons to be in disagreement with the government's current social and economic policy. They had to demand higher living standards and protest all attempts to transform their organisations into a "voiceless and obedient appendix of the government".
"We all need to realise we cannot survive alone," declared Goncharik. "Only our concerted will and joint actions will lead us to succeed in improving workers' living standards. Together we are unions, together we shall win!"
The Belarus prime minister, Vladimir Yermoshin, attending the BFTU Congress, recognised that it had been a mistake that companies, following presidential guidelines to split the unions, had tried to form "yellow unions".
As trade unions are still being put under pressure by Lukashenko and their bank accounts remain frozen, the BFTU will be launching a general protest action.
The federation is composed of 33 branch unions, with a total membership of 4,378,370 and is the largest trade union organisation in Belarus.
The IMF thanks all its affiliated organisations who sent messages in support of the Belarus free trade union movement.
Vladimir Goncharik, the incumbent president of the Belarus Federation of Trade Unions, was unanimously re-elected to lead the federation for the next five years. He said that the unions had many reasons to be in disagreement with the government's current social and economic policy. They had to demand higher living standards and protest all attempts to transform their organisations into a "voiceless and obedient appendix of the government".
"We all need to realise we cannot survive alone," declared Goncharik. "Only our concerted will and joint actions will lead us to succeed in improving workers' living standards. Together we are unions, together we shall win!"
The Belarus prime minister, Vladimir Yermoshin, attending the BFTU Congress, recognised that it had been a mistake that companies, following presidential guidelines to split the unions, had tried to form "yellow unions".
As trade unions are still being put under pressure by Lukashenko and their bank accounts remain frozen, the BFTU will be launching a general protest action.
The federation is composed of 33 branch unions, with a total membership of 4,378,370 and is the largest trade union organisation in Belarus.
The IMF thanks all its affiliated organisations who sent messages in support of the Belarus free trade union movement.