The Special Envoy of the ILO DG for Belarus Lelio Bentes Corrêa, has embarked on his mission.

On 17 September, an online meeting was held between recently released former political prisoner and leader of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), Aliaksandr Yarashuk, and ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo together with Maria Helena André, Director of the ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV). The meeting was also attended by Sergeyus Glovackas, Desk Officer for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at ACTRAV.

Why independent trade unions regard it as a disguised form of forced labour

In the first half of 2025, political rapprochement between Belarus and Myanmar reached a new level. Both countries — governed by military or authoritarian regimes, under international sanctions, and widely criticized for systematic human rights violations — are enthusiastically expanding economic, diplomatic, and even military cooperation.

In today’s Belarus, subscription to independent mass media can cost a man not just their job but also their freedom. Lukashenka’s regime continues to pursue the policy of total control over information, qualifying the reading of alternative media sources as “extremist activity”.

The participants discussed measures proposed by the ILO Governing Body for the implementation of Article 33 of the ILO Constitution that has been applied to the Government of Belarus for violations of the right to freedom of association and the failure to comply with the Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations.

On the sidelines of the International Labour Conference, representatives of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) met with the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Gilbert Houngbo. The meeting was attended by Maksim Pazniakou, Acting President of the BKDP, and Siarhei Antusevich, Deputy President, who recently regained his freedom and left Belarus after serving a politically motivated sentence.

The regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka continues to weaponize trials in absentia against representatives of the independent trade union movement. A recent case involving Leanid Sudalenka, a legal advisor to Salidarnast e.V., highlights the politically motivated nature of such prosecutions.

June 5, 2025, Geneva. An action of solidarity with the independent trade union of Belarus took place in the Nations Square in front of the UN building. Under the slogan “Bring Freedom of Association Back to Belarus!”, the participants demanded to stop the repressions without delay, release all imprisoned union leaders, and restore workers’ right to freedom of association.

A coalition of Belarusian human rights organizations and the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) has submitted a comprehensive report to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus. The document outlines a wide range of systemic labor rights violations — from the liquidation of independent trade unions to forced labor and discrimination. The authors urge the United Nations and the ILO to intensify pressure on the Belarusian authorit

June 2, 2025, is the opening day of the 113-th Interntioanl Labour Conference in Geneva. There, delegates representing governments, employers, and workers of 187 ILO member-states will discuss important issues in the world of labour: potential new international standards protecting workers from occupational biological hazards, decent work in platform economy, and innovative approaches to facilitating the formalization of informal economy.

On November 29–30, 2024, the German city of Bremen hosted an international conference “Belarus: Union action under Article 33” organized by

The meeting of the ILO Governing Body that took place on October 28 through November 08 in Geneva, assessed the steps taken by the Belarusia

Vice President of the Free Trade Union of Belarus (SPB) Maria Taradzetskaya took part in the international women’s school organized by the P

On October 1 through 3, 2024, Vilnius hosted an international conference which brought together trade union representatives from Ukraine,

Today the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) concluded its Congress in Bucharest, Romania, which has brought together deleg

The 112th International Labour Conference in Geneva (Switzerland) elected the political prisoner and leader of the Belarusian Congress of De

Within the framework of the 112th International Labour Conference in Geneva, the Committee on Application of Standards held a special sittin

Today, Place des Nations in Geneva saw a protest action intended to draw attention to the fates of dozens of trade union activists suffering

The International Labour Organization (ILO) stands as a beacon of hope for workers worldwide. As the ILO's Governing Body elections approach