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.

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.

On 7 June, the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) received the George Meany–Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award. This award is one of the most prestigious international trade union honours.

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.

At the presentation in Geneva of the 2026 Global Rights Index, prepared by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Maksim Pazniakou, Deputy Chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), spoke on behalf of the organisation.

The problems of protecting the rights of civil society in the digital age were discussed in Vienna at a conference attended by more than 350 participants, including representatives of governments and international organisations.

“Salidarnasc” continues its round of publications devoted to a research conducted by a group of Belarusian physicians, members of the Independent Healthcare Workers’ Union, which has become a sort of response to an article published in one of the State-run mass media outlets.

Millions of workers around the world today work in the platform economy. Their work is regulated by digital platforms. Examples of such work are familiar to everyone: food delivery, passenger transport, courier services, freelance workers, and others. Many platforms argue that they are merely intermediaries between clients and independent contractors, but in reality they control the working conditions, pay, and number of working hours.

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.

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.

During the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus Nils Muižnieks presented his report on labour rights violations in our country.

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.

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.

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.

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