A new case of criminal prosecution against a trade union activist has been reported. Ruslan Badamshyn, an activist of the Free Trade Union of Belarus (SPB) and a member of the "Panacea" union of healthcare workers, has been recognised as a political prisoner and sentenced to two years and six months of imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony.

In an interview with ACTRAV INFO on trade union resilience amid growing global instability, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) General Secretary Luc Triangle highlighted the release of Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), as one of the most significant achievements of the international trade union movement in 2025.

On 11 February 2026, a meeting took place in Warsaw between Piotr Duda, chairman of the Polish trade union NSZZ “Solidarność,” his deputies, and the leaders of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), which has continued its work in exile since the liquidation of independent trade unions in Belarus in 2022.

On 30–31 January, Bremen hosted an international trade union conference, held there for the fourth time and traditionally bringing together friends and allies of the independent Belarusian trade unions. This year, the event gathered trade union leaders and representatives of international and national unions from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.

On 26 January, a meeting took place at the Bremen City Hall between Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), and Andreas Bovenschulte, President of the Federal Council of Germany and Mayor of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. The meeting was also attended by representatives of Salidarnast e.V. and Christian Wechselbaum, head of the Bremen branch of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB).

In his interview to gazetaby.com, Maksim Senik, an activist of the Belarusian Independent Union (BNP) at the Hrodna Azot fertilizer plant tells what a man who dares to express his own point of view and speak against unjust actions of the authorities has to go through in today‘s Belarus.

Today in Vilnius, a meeting took place between IndustriALL Global Union General Secretary Atle Høie and and Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan with Belarusian trade union leaders – Henadz Fiadynich, longtime head of the Belarusian Radio and Electronics Industry Workers’ Union (REP), which is part of IndustriALL, and Aliaksandr Yarashuk, Chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP).

Yesterday, when new information and footage appeared showing Ukrainian buses, I caught myself experiencing a strange clarity. Perhaps, for the first time since the first similar release of political prisoners, everything seemed to fall into place.

On December 10, International Human Rights Day, Volha Brytsikava, former leader of the primary organization of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union at OJSC Naftan, received the Human Rights Solidarity Award. The Belarusian Human Rights Association presented the award to her for her steadfastness, principles, and ongoing defense of workers' rights despite pressure and repression.

On December 6, at the Bremen Trade Union House, Salidarnast e.V. held an event as part of the international campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.” Participants included activists from Belarusian independent trade unions and their families, as well as guests from various cities – Bremen, Warsaw, Frankfurt am Main, and Hanover.

A session of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Governing Body concluded its work in Geneva; the GB discussed the situation in Belarus, among other things.

On November 24 in Helsinki, a meeting of the Baltic Sea Trade Union Network (BASTUN) was held, dedicated to issues of social, democratic, and defense security in the region. National trade union from Baltic countries, experts, and representatives of international trade unions took part in the discussion. Belarus was also represented at the event.

Michelle O’Neil, President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), met with the leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, during her visit to Australia. She shared news of the meeting on her Instagram page, describing Tsikhanouskaya as “an inspiring and fearless voice for a free and democratic Belarus.”

Today, Volha Brytsikava, head of the work council of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union of JSK "Naftan" (largest and most important oil refineries in Belarus), is spending her birthday in captivity.

The Acting President of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) Maksim Pazniakau and Lizaveta Merliak, a representative of the Salidarnast Association e.V., took part in the Congress of the German Mining, Chemical, and Energy Workers’ Union IG BCE which took place in Germany.

After the dissolution of independent trade unions in Belarus, the “Salidarnast” Association became the voice of workers and a platform for the idea of building a democratic society.

Aliaksandr Yarashuk, head of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), shared his experience of being held in Belarusian prisons.

Yauheni Dzenisenka, an activist with the Salidarnast Association, spoke to Salidarnast about how new technologies are shaping the labor market—and why workers need trade union support.

There were around 12 thousand people taking part in the Bremen marathon, including two of our fellow-countrymen, Pavel Sakalouski and Yauheni Dzenisenka, in the 10 km leg of the run who used the opportunity to draw attention to the issue of ongoing repressions in our country. That is why they came to the starting line wearing sweatshirt that featured the call for “Freedom to Political Prisoners in Belarus”.

On October 7-8, 2025, the Warsaw office of the Polish Metalworkers’ Union (FZZ) hosted a workshop on digitalization organized by the ITUC PERC Youth Committee. Trade union activists discussed issues related to the rapid development of the AI and its impact on the world of work.