Photo courtesy of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus
MINSK, 12 December (BelTA) – Participants of the international conference “Modern economic challenges and their impact on labor relations, the socio-economic situation of workers,” held in Minsk on 11 December, issued a statement on the negative impact of sanctions, BelTA learned from the press service of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus.
As previously reported, trade union representatives from 27 countries attended the forum. The conference discussed the impact of unilateral coercive measures on workers’ rights, sustainable development of countries and global security, the decreased level of worker protection amid economic digitalization and the rapid expansion of non-standard forms of employment, as well as the need for consolidated efforts by the global trade union movement to protect workers’ interests under these circumstances. The outcome of the discussions was a statement by the forum participants.
“The constantly growing tendency of imposing sanctions and other economic restrictions and barriers by a number of states contradicts international law and severely violates the fundamental right of workers to work, enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and relevant conventions of the International Labor Organization,” the statement reads.
Conference participants drew attention to the fact that in various states, including those imposing sanctions, their application leads to rising unemployment, declining wages, deteriorating working conditions, and the spread of informal employment. Sanctions also have an extremely negative impact on human social rights.
“As a result of sanctions, the sustainable development of states is generally undermined, and a real threat to food and planetary security arises. Sanctions are always a step towards another escalation. A step towards further social upheavals. Global peace cannot be defended through further division. It cannot be based on economic wars and blockades,” the statement emphasizes.
According to the forum participants, workers in all countries want stability and the opportunity to work without artificial barriers and restrictions in order to be able to secure a confident future for themselves and their children. And the peoples of all states need policies that promote equality and sustainable development.
“In this situation, the global trade union movement must unite and act as a united front against measures that violate people’s basic rights to fair and favorable working conditions, to freedom from hunger, necessary social guarantees and medical care, to a decent standard of living in general. The International Labor Organization, as a specialized institution for protecting the right to work and the right to basic social and economic guarantees for people, must cease its practice of encouraging illegal unilateral coercive measures, which contradicts international law and the organization’s charter. The ILO must take a historically important step for all the world’s workers and adopt real measures aimed at countering sanctions,” the statement underscores.
Amid the rapid digitalization of the economy, trade unions worldwide and the International Labor Organization must also give consideration to developing measures to protect workers’ rights in atypical employment, representatives of trade unions from different countries are convinced.
“As a result of technological development and the increasing spread of digital platform employment, millions of workers worldwide face a lack of guaranteed wage levels, stable employment, paid leave, sick pay, pension rights, and protection in case of work-related injuries. But technological progress should expand opportunities for workers, not worsen their situation. The new challenges of the modern world oblige us to consolidate trade union approaches, strengthen social partnership in order to jointly discuss and develop innovative ideas and principles aimed at ensuring basic labor and social guarantees,” the statement says.
“Our goal is to preserve the rights and achievements of workers, to strengthen peace and dialogue in the interests of all peoples. Our voice must be heard,” the forum participants concluded.
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