The international trade union platform LabourStart has launched a global campaign calling for the immediate release of Hong Kong trade union leader Lee Cheuk-yan and activist Chow Hang-tung. The campaign began on 11 September together with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), Education International (EI), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor.

An event dedicated to political repression in Belarus, imprisoned trade union activists and the role of international solidarity was held in Hanover. The meeting was organised by the German trade union IG BCE and Salidarnast e.V.

On 1 September, three employees of the Kalinkavichyvodokanal branch died in Kalinkavichy, Belarus: a 44-year-old site manager and two fitters aged 43 and 37.

According to the official Telegram channel of Belaruskali, a mining foreman, Dzmitry Piatrovich, was injured at Mine No. 2 while inspecting longwall workings after a roof fall. He later died in hospital.

The 71-year-old activist of Belarus’s independent trade union movement, like many of his colleagues, was detained on 19 April 2022. Nine months later, he was convicted under three articles of the Criminal Code and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in a high-security penal colony. During his time behind bars, Vatslau Areshka’s eyesight has deteriorated severely: alongside other health problems, he has now almost completely lost his sight.

On 7 August, representatives of the local IG Metall branch in Bremerhaven held an information picket aimed at engaging Ukrainian and Russian-speaking residents of the city with the trade union movement and informing them about ways to protect their rights and interests at work. Representatives of Salidarnast e.V., an association of Belarusian independent trade unionists in exile, also took part in the action.

The new Regulation on the National Council on Gender Policy reveals how the Belarusian authorities understand public dialogue. Put simply, they are discussing gender equality with themselves.

Former political prisoner and journalist Andrzej Poczobut, who was released on 28 April 2026 as part of an exchange of Belarusian and Polish prisoners, spoke in the European Parliament on 17 June and mentioned Vatslau Areshka.

On 17 June in Brussels, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Seamus Boland. During the meeting, the sides discussed the situation in Belarus and support for civil society. Particular attention was given to the state of the trade union movement in Belarus.

The 30th Constitutional Convention of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) took place in Minneapolis, USA, bringing together thousands of trade union leaders and activists from around the world. The forum was held under the banner of strengthening the unity of the labour movement amid growing authoritarian trends, attacks on workers’ rights, and profound changes in the labour market.

On June 11, the most important event for football fans began – the World Cup. FIFA expects the 2026 World Cup to become the most lucrative in history, generating around 13 billion dollars in income. However, this year’s tournament has also been accompanied by significant criticism, primarily due to the fact that it is being held, among other places, in the United States.

Maksim Pazniakou, Deputy Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions, took part in a conference of the Fédération générale du travail de Belgique (FGTB), where he spoke about the situation of workers and the independent trade union movement in Belarus.

Belarusian trade union leader Aliaksandr Yarashuk is currently in Norway, where he is taking part in the ceremony for the Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights. Last year, the prize was awarded to Yarashuk himself, when he was still imprisoned in Belarus.

On 6 June in Geneva, during the 114th session of the International Labour Conference, a special meeting on Belarus was held within the Committee on the Application of Standards, concerning the government’s implementation of ILO recommendations in connection with the application of Article 33 of the ILO Constitution.

5 June, 2026On 4 June 2026, trade union activists and delegates at the 114th ILC gathered in front of UN Palace of Nations near the Broken Chair monument in Geneva, demanding the immediate release of imprisoned Belarusian trade unionists. Among them was Aliaksandr Yarashuk, BKDP president, free after three and a half years in prison.

Two more international organisations have joined the joint statement on the systemic human rights crisis in the labour sphere in Belarus — the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

Today in Geneva, at the Broken Chair monument, an international solidarity action was held in support of Belarusian trade union political prisoners. Despite the pouring rain, dozens of trade union leaders and activists from different countries gathered to support those who remain behind bars in Belarus for defending workers’ rights and freedom of association.

Two more international organisations have joined the joint statement on the systemic human rights crisis in the labour sphere in Belarus — the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

Belarusian and international human rights organisations, independent trade unions, and civil society initiatives have issued a joint statement on the systemic crisis of human rights in the labour sector in Belarus.

At the 54th Congress of the CGT, taking place in Tours from 1 to 5 June, the Belarusian independent trade union movement is represented by BKDP Deputy Chair Siarhei Antusevich.