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24 April, 2025As Belarus prepares for its UN universal periodic review (UPR) in November, global unions are raising urgent concerns. A joint submission by IndustriALL Global Union, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the exiled Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) exposes a brutal government campaign to eradicate independent trade unionism.
Workers in Belarus are being punished simply for defending their rights. The report outlines a severe decline in fundamental freedoms, as Belarus continues to flout international obligations and ILO recommendations, replacing reform with repression.
Since the 2020 pro-democracy movement, the government has dismantled all independent unions—dissolving the BKDP and affiliates such as Free Trade Union of Metalworkers (SPM), Free Belarusian Trade Union (SPB), Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BNP) and Belarusian Trade Union of Radio-Electronic Industry Workers (REP). Dozens of union leaders and activists have been jailed on fabricated charges, including BKDP President Aliaksandr Yarashuk, sentenced to four years for peaceful advocacy.
New laws criminalize union activity, protest and foreign support. Unionists are smeared as extremists, while workplaces force workers into pro-government unions, stripping them of real representation.
These are not isolated incidents they are part of a coordinated attack on organized labour. Peaceful protesters are jailed, union offices raided, families torn apart and dissenters exiled or imprisoned.
“Belarus is erasing the very idea of free and independent unions,”
said IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie. “These are not just attacks on organizations they are attacks on people, on workers who want nothing more than dignity, safety and a say in their own lives.”
The trade union movement calls on the UPR to urge Belarus to reinstate independent unions, release all jailed unionists, repeal repressive laws and allow ILO and humanitarian access.
ITUC general secretary Luc Triangle stated:
“The brutal assault by the autocratic government of Alexander Lukashenko on independent trade unions in Belarus is an attack on democracy itself. But the global trade union movement will not stand by. International solidarity is essential to end this repression and bring accountability to those responsible. The courage of Belarusian trade unionists reminds us that trade unionism is not a crime it is a cornerstone of democracy.”
On 16 April IndustriALL affiliates demonstrated strong support for the democratic independent trade union movement in Belarus through solidarity actions, including statements of support and formal letters to the Belarusian Embassy.
“Silence is not an option. Injustice must be challenged in every forum, with every voice and through every means until every imprisoned trade unionist in Belarus is free, every independent union restored and every worker able to stand without fear. Solidarity is more than a word; it is a force. This struggle will continue until justice prevails,”
said Atle Høie.