Finnish union confederations want the EU to put more pressure on Belarus

Helsinki (02.02.2011 - Juhani Artto) Last Thursday, three Finnish union confederations &#;8211 SAK, STTK and Akava – in a joint effort – issued a statement condemning the arrests and maul-handling of protesters after the December presidential elections in Belarus. Among those arrested were union activists and a number of those arrested are still imprisoned, the confederations say.

They are now urging the EU to put pressure on Belarus to implement the ILO's recommendations on Belarus. The recommendations concern the implementation of ILO conventions on organizing and collective bargaining rights.

According to the Finnish confederations the bulk of employment relations are temporary by nature, and union membership weakens possibilities to get employment relations extended. "It is an effective way to suppress union activity", SAK, STTK and Akava criticise.

The union organization BKDP represents the free trade union movement in Belarus. It is an affiliated member of the ITUC that represents 176 million people globally and a strategic partner in the Baltic Sea region union network BASTUN.