Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spoke about the recent wave of repressions against the workers in Belarusian, noted the systematic violations of their rights, and told about the trials that took place in recent months against the trade union leaders.
The ILO head assured Ms. Tsikhanouskaya that the Organization under his leadership would keep Belarus in focus and insist on ending repression against workers and the release of all imprisoned representatives of the labor movement. They discussed recent convictions of independent trade union leaders, including the case of Aliaksandr Yarashuk, who is also a member of the ILO Governing Body.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the decision to invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution in relation to Belarus and expressed hope that this, though an extreme measure, would help free imprisoned workers and trade union leaders. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted the democratic forces’ intention to submit proposals to the ILO to implement Article 33, which is invoked against countries for systematic failure to comply with ILO requirements and recommendations.
Gilbert F. Houngbo replaced Guy Ryder, who had led the Organization for almost 10 years. The ILO is a specialized UN agency with 187 member states. It is governed by representatives of employers, trade unions, and governments.
