Belarus: The treatment by the state of members of the Belarus Free Trade Union (BFTU) who actively support women's and worker's rights; whether the BFTU as a collective supports the rights of women; whether BFTU activists are targeted by the KGB and, if so, the form the targeting takes; whether the United Civil Party supports the BFTU; whether the BFTU has a youth organization and, if so, the leader's name; the name of a regional leader in 1997; whether the BFTU is involved in legal proceedings against employers who violate worker's rights (January 1996 - March 2001)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 12 March 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BYS36590.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Belarus: The treatment by the state of members of the Belarus Free Trade Union (BFTU) who actively support women's and worker's rights; whether the BFTU as a collective supports the rights of women; whether BFTU activists are targeted by the KGB and, if so, the form the targeting takes; whether the United Civil Party supports the BFTU; whether the BFTU has a youth organization and, if so, the leader's name; the name of a regional leader in 1997; whether the BFTU is involved in legal proceedings against employers who violate worker's rights (January 1996 - March 2001), 12 March 2001, BYS36590.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be172c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Page 32 of the 1998 International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
Annual Report states:
The Belarusian government [in 1997] put pressure on independent trade unions and other professional organizations and refused to register them. ... The Central Raion Court in Mahiljou (Mogilev) sentenced the local chairman of the Free Belarusan trade Union, Sjarhej Abadouski, to five days in "administrative detention" for his activities ( 1998).
The Website of the Brussels-based International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
(ICFTU) contains the following information obtained from an ICTFU mission
to Belarus:
Viktor Babayed, President of the Congress of Democratic Trade Unions of Belarus, described the systematic attacks upon the independent trade union movement in Belarus. Members of the Congress delegation, which included Gennadij Bykov, President of the Free Trade Union of Belarus, gave examples of the repressive measures against their local and central structures, dismissals of local leaders, pressure on union members to leave the union, and numerous threats and "legal" restrictions contained in the successive presidential decrees.
The process of registration and re-registration clearly violated principles of freedom of association. One of the major obstacles hindering the establishment of new unions was the 10% minimum membership requirement as well as the need of enterprise directors to confirm "the legal address" of the union. In practice, to fulfil this requirement, a letter of the director of the enterprise where the trade union organization was created is required. Numerous examples were given of direct collusion between enterprise management and the authorities in this connection (28 July 2000).
The ICFTU Website also states, although without a reference to the Belarus Free Trade
Union:
Employees [in Belarus] have been dismissed for taking part in trade union activities or threatened with dismissal, if they do not leave their trade union. The KGB has been observing trade union activities and paid regular visits to trade unionists for information purposes (9 Oct. 2000).
A 25 September 2000 IFEX Action Alert states:
On 13 September, according to local sources, police confiscated 112,000 copies of a special edition of "Rabochy," nearly a third of the total print run, from the Magic publishing house in Minsk. The newspaper, published by the Belarusian Free Trade Union, had urged its readers to participate in the "Boycott-2000" campaign being organized by the opposition prior to the 15 October parliamentary elections. The police claimed that publishing a call to boycott the election was illegal. Police also arrested "Rabochy" founder and editor Viktar Ivashkevich, "Rabochy" attorney Dzmitry Kastiukevich and Magic general director Yuriy Budzko. After being detained in a local police station for two hours, they were charged with "propagandizing an electoral boycott." Additional charges were filed against Budzko as the publisher of the newspaper. ... Budzko was acquitted at his 18 September trial in Minsk. However, the next day the same local court found Ivashvkevich guilty as charged and sentenced him to pay a fine of 13,000 Belarusn rubles (US$13, or five months salary at the local minimum wage). Kastiukevich was ordered to pay a fine of 5,200 Belarusian rubles. The court also ruled that the government's confiscation of "Rabochy" was legal. The newspaper plans to appeal both rulings.
No additional information on the treatment of members of the Belarus Free Trade Union, nor additional information relevant to this Response, could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
IFEX Action Alert. 25 September 2000. "CPJ Protests Confiscation of Independent Newspaper."
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), [Brussels]. 9 October 2000. "Belarus – Complaint to ILO."
_____. 20 July 2000. "Violation of Trade Union Rights in Belarus."
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights. Vienna. 1998 Annual Report.
Additional Sources Consulted
Correspondence sent to one oral source
IRB databases
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International
Belarusian.com
Belarusian Helsinki Committee
Jim Flack's HomePage - The Belarusian Free Trade Union
Freedom House
Oneworld.net
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Viasna Human Rights Centre - Minsk
World News Connection