The Belarusian Radio and Electronics Workers’ Union (REWU) sent a statement, addressing delegates of the forthcoming Convention of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions. The Union informs about suspension of its decision to join the independent trade union center. REWU leaders are intended to comment on this decision after the BCDTU Convention.

It is worth reminding that on 27 November the REWU Plenary Meeting adopted a decision to join BCDTU. Participants of the Plenary Meeting addressed members of the BCDTU’s Council and requested adopting a positive decision on accession prior to the Convention, scheduled for 11 December. REWU hoped that its delegates would be allowed to participate in Convention of independent trade union center, which their organization wanted to join.

At its session on 4 November the BCDTU Council members approved the REWU decision, decided to consider the issue of accession after the Convention, having created a working group in order to develop the accession mechanism.

REWU activists did not expect that trade union center governing body would take such a decision, because they believed that the request on accessing prior to the Convention corresponds to principles of democracy.

Based on this, on 9 December 2008 majority of members of REWU Council voted to suspend implementation of decision to join BCDTU and to hold additional consultations.

It is necessary to note that opinions of REWU Council’s members were divided (11 persons voted “for”, 5 voted “against” and 1 “abstained”). However, taking into account that these events took place on the eve of Convention of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions, REWU leaders approached the website management requesting to remove the already made comments and postpone its publication to a later stage.

STATEMENT

for delegates to the BKDP Congress

REPAM (Belarusian Radio & Electronic Industry Workers' Union) has always been actively supporting the independent trade union movement in the Republic of Belarus' and the convergence of the positions and mutual assistance with the BKDP.

REP(AM), among other activities, has done a lot to give international publicity to the violation of the trade union rights in the Republic of Belarus’ (Case № 2090). The union has developed and presented to BKDP an alternative (to the government version) draft Law on Trade Unions. This contributed to the developments resulting in the change of mind by the authorities and their refusal to adopt the new Trade Union Law which aimed at destroying independent trade unions in the country. We have also drafted and forwarded to the BKDP detailed proposals for the General Agreement for 2009-2010 as well as a number of other documents.

More over, negotiating since February 2008 with the Free Trade Union of Metalworkers the issue of a possible merger, we also considered a possibility for REPAM to join the BKDP. We forwarded a letter № 52/01, dated June 13, 2008, to the leaders of BKDP inviting to join the negotiations and develop jointly, among other things, procedures for REPAM to join BKDP.

Regrettably, we received no answer to our letter.

Despite the fact that our proposals have been ignored and some members of the REPAM Council had a varying attitude to the situation, on November 27, 2008, we made a unanimous decision to join BCDTU so that our representatives would have the right to be full-fledged delegates to the upcoming Congress of BKDP. This decision was supported by A. Yaroshuk, the BCDTU president, participating in the deliberations of the REPAM Council.

Taking this decision we rightfully hoped that our activists would participate in the BCDTU on December 11, 2008, as delegates, and would have the right to directly discuss the documents of the BKDP Congress outlining the program of the activities of the organization for the coming three years. However, the BKDP Council at its meeting on the 4th of December, 2008, while welcoming the decision by REPAM to the BKDP refused to make this happen prior to the Congress.

The BKDP Council has certainly the right to decide as it wishes, but we cannot share such a position when, on the one hand, our decision to join the organization is unanimously welcomed and, on the other hand, our democratic organization is denied the equal rights with other subjects of BKDP. We do not know of any such precedents in the international trade union movement.

Obviously, the BKDP Council was not prepared to make adequate decisions to promote the unification of the democratic trade union movement in the country. Whatever arguments are offered to justify this decision by the BKDP Council it played into the hands of those who do not want and fear the unification of the independent trade union movement to a single trade union center, do not want to see the strengthening of the BKDP role in the country.

In view of the above, the Council of REPAM of Belarus’ suspends its decision to join the BKDP until additional consultations are made.

We wish you a very fruitful Congress and hope that you successfully resolve your internal problems.

In the name of the Council

Chairman

G.F. Fedynich