22 November, 2012The International Labour Organization's Committee on Freedom of Association issued recommendations to Russia and Belarus on cases 2758 and 2090 initiated on the basis of complaints submitted by national unions with the support of IndustriALL Global Union.
Concerning the complaint of the Confederation of Labour of Russia (KTR), case no. 2758, the committee recommended discussing the joint proposal of the KTR and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR), regarding the complaint within the framework of the Russian Tripartite Commission, and taking legislative steps towards remedying various problems with union and labour rights in the Russian law.
It also strongly recommended excluding leaflets of the Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA), an IndustriALL affiliate, from the federal list of extremist materials, and ensuring that will never happen again. http://www.industriall-union.org/archive/imf/fighting-for-decent-work-is-extremism.
The ILO has also recommended investigating allegations of anti-union persecution of Valentin Urusov, trade unionist sent to prison for six years, and to release him immediately if these allegations turn out to be true.
At its sessions the ILO supervisory body has also reviewed the measures taken by the Government of Belarus to implement the 2004 recommendations of an ILO Commission of Inquiry on case 2090, started more than ten years ago. The Committee deeply regretted that the Government had once again failed to reply to the Committee’s previous recommendations and to the new allegations of freedom of association violations. It urged the Government to be more cooperative in the future.
The executive body has considered 32 cases and named five countries committing serious violations: Argentina, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Fiji and Peru.
All five cases are based on consistent violations of workers’ right to organize, collective bargaining and social dialogue.
Referring to the crisis in Greece, the ILO has also examined an extensive deficit of social dialogue in austerity measures taken in the country and highlighted the need for ILO assistance.