English

Independent trade unions may launch campaign for EU's boycott of Belarusian imports, activist warns

Belarus' independent trade unions are considering the possibility of launching a campaign for the European Union’s boycott of Belarusian imports, Alyaksandr Yarashuk, chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BCDTU), told BelaPAN on Wednesday.

“We previously discussed the possibility of the boycott with EU trade unions with which we are cooperating,” said Mr. Yarashuk. “If attempts to crush the independent trade union movement in Belarus continue, we should be able to carry out such a campaign in response. Our European colleagues show understanding and are ready to support us.”

“Of course, it does not mean that we will press a button and oil deliveries to the Netherlands, for instance, will immediately be suspended,” he said. “We just want to warn all hot heads that we have tools to protect our trade unions.”

Mr. Yarashuk said that the authorities had mounted their crackdown on independent trade unions, citing pressure on the leader of the nascent organization of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union at crushed stone mining company RUVP Hranit. Earlier this month, Aleh Stakhayevich, who is employed as a dump truck driver, has had his driver's license suspended and may now lose his job, said Mr. Yarashuk.

Unhappy with their low wages and the performance of the pro-government Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB), about 600 Hranit employees reportedly quit the local FTUB chapter in late December to establish a grass-roots organization of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union. However, the management of Hranit refuses to provide the independent union organization with a legal address, which is necessary for registration.

According to the BCDTU press office, a workshop was held in Salihorsk on January 16 for 40 Hranit employees affiliated with the Belarusian Independent Trade Union to discuss efforts to obtain legal status for the grass-roots organization.

With a staff of 3,000 people, RUVP Hranit is the largest employer in Mikashevichy, a city of 14,000 residents near Luninets.