MINSK, 5 April (BelTA) – The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB) elected 80 delegates to the Belarusian People’s Congress at an extraordinary congress of the federation, BelTA has learned.
FTUB representatives stressed: “The election of delegates to the Belarusian People’s Congress is a historic moment for the trade unions. It is another confirmation of the authority and significance of trade unions for the general public. And most importantly it is an opportunity for trade unions to directly participate in the development and adoption of strategic decisions on developing the country.”
Over the last few years the federation has done a lot of work to promote social partnership. Thanks to that the trade unions can already influence the development and adoption of legislative decisions on labor affairs and social affairs. Moreover, it is upon the federation’s initiative that a number of legislative norms have been passed to expand guarantees for working Belarusians. For instance, guarantees for extending the labor contract for the maximum term for meticulous workers, the provision of tax deductions for young specialists, higher sick leave compensations for several categories of workers, and many other matters. Efforts to protect interests of workers in labor disputes have been stepped up. For instance, thanks to the trade unions about 170 illegally fired workers have been reinstated over the last three years. The trade unions have also helped return over Br46 million that employers had failed to pay to workers or had illegally garnished.
“Constant work in worker collectives allows the trade unions to see what problems worry the nation. And certainly, the work of our delegates in the Belarusian People’s Congress will be primarily geared towards making sure that interests of workers and the principle of social justice are at the heart of all significant decisions,” the FTUB noted.
The Belarusian People’s Congress delegates elected by the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus represent all the industry-specific trade unions. The delegates include leaders of trade union organizations of various levels, activists of the trade union movement, honored workers, whose labor accomplishments represent an example to follow for young Belarusians, heads of enterprises and organizations that act as responsible social partners and support initiatives of trade unions.
