SPM primary organization at OJSC "Tekhnika Svyazi" concludes collective agreement with employer 21.05.2012 The primary organization of the Free Trade Union of Metalworkers (SPM) at the Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) "Tekhnika Svyazi" (Communication Equipment), located in the city of Baran (formerly – the OJSC "Lyos") has successfully completed its bargaining on collective agreement for 2012-2013.more >>

"First I`ll quit the independent trade union and then join it again" 18.05.2012 In late 2011, several hundreds of workers of the Republic's Unitary Production Enterprise (RUPE) "Granit" located in the town of Mikashevichi and engaged in extraction of rocks for construction voiced an intention to set up an independent trade union. The administration and the authorities responded by a wave of layoffs of activists and pressure on independent trade union organizations at other enterprises.more >>

Kozik at "Granit": Europe gives 100 US dollars for each converted FPB member 18.05.2012 Leonid Kozik, Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FPB), visited the Republic's Unitary Production Company (RUPE) "Granit" located in the town of Mikashevichi and engaged in extracting rocks for construction purposes. One of the workers of the enterprise told Radio Liberty about the meeting with the boss of the pro-governmental trade union federation.more >>

Why authorities are not happy with independent trade unions? 17.05.2012 On May 10, a session of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee discussed the issue of counteracting the independent trade unions. Why are the authorities so afraid of the independent trade union movement? Is it really so dangerous for the ruling regime? Can the authorities strangle the independent trade unions?more >>

Ideologists of Minsk Regional Executive Committee call FPB to counteract independent unions 16.05.2012 The primary organizations of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FPB) shall oppose the attempts of "destructive influence" on people, especially by the independent trade unions. This was stated on May 10 by Ruslan Trukhan, the head of the chief ideology department of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee at a Committee session in Minsk, the "BelaPAN" reports.more >>

GPO protracts answering "Vitebskmyasomolprom" storekeeper 15.05.2012 For the fourth month already, the women-warehouse workers of the Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) "Vitebskmyasomolprom" (Meat and Dairy Products), members of the REP Trade Union, have been waiting for an answer from the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Belarus regarding their complaint against the court's decision on the labour dispute on compensation of a huge shortage. Such a delay with response, in the opinion of Valery Misnikov, the trade union lawyer at the REP, suggests that the GPO is not willing to take responsibility for admission the employer's guilt and misconduct of the judiciary.more >>

Danish journalist lost his flight because of search and almost became a visa regime violator 14.05.2012 On May 12, customs officers at "Minsk 2" Airport staged a four-hour-long personal search of a Danish journalist Jens Nielsen. They confiscated from him materials for an article about trade unions in Belarus, electronic data carriers, a laptop and a book by Roy Medvedev, "Alexander Lukashenko. Contours of Belarusian Model".more >>

State Labour Inspectorate sees no safety violation in Lukashenko and his son Kolya working at subbotnik without helmets 14.05.2012 Mr Sadovnichy, Director of the Department of State Labour Inspectorate, has answered to the appeal of Alexei Pavlovskiy, a bricklayer from Mogilyov and an activist of the REP Trade Union, as follows: "The persons mentioned in your appeal had no labour or civil-legal relations with the organization engaged in building an indoor water park." Consequently, according to the Director, the Law "On Labour Protection" was not violated.more >>

More union activists sacked at "Granit" 04.05.2012 Nikolai Karyshev, the deputy chairman of the primary organization of the BNP Trade Union at the RUPE "Granit", was notified that already on Friday, May 4, his labour contract would not be extended. Nikolai works in the shop of railway loading. The first hints about his dismissal were made a month ago.more >>

Authorities ban May Day events planned by independent trade unions in Soligorsk and Mikashevichi 03.05.2012 In several cities of Belarus, the mass events planned by independent trade unions failed. In Soligorsk, the event was banned under the pretext of the mite danger!more >>