Belarusian independent trade unions address Yara International’s European Works Council
Representatives of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) and Salidarnast took part in a meeting of Yara International’s European Works Council in Oslo on 3 November. A separate part of the programme was devoted to the situation regarding workers’ and trade union rights in Belarus.
BKDP Chair Aliaksandr Yarashuk took part in the meeting. Yara’s European Works Council had invited him to attend its meetings before, but in recent years Yarashuk had been held in a Belarusian prison. This was the first time members of the Council were able to welcome him in person.
Yarashuk thanked the Council members and its chair, Geir O. Sundbo, for their support for independent trade unions and trade union activists who became political prisoners.
Cooperation with Yara began back in 2020 amid developments at Belaruskali. At the time, the Norwegian company sourced potash from the enterprise as one of the components used in the production of compound mineral fertilisers. The independent trade union reported violations of workers’ rights and problems with occupational safety.
While the Belarusian Independent Trade Union was still active at the company, workers were able to report risks directly from their workplaces, and information about workplace accidents became public. Yara specialists in occupational health and safety and risk management were also involved.
Today, the independent trade union at Belaruskali has been dismantled by the authorities, while fatal workplace accidents continue. The BKDP and Salidarnast presentation included examples of incidents from just three months in the summer of 2026.
According to representatives of the independent trade unions, one of the reasons for the situation is the absence of an independent workers’ organisation at the enterprise that could monitor working conditions and speak openly about problems. This is compounded by pressure on workers and state interference in companies’ personnel policies.
The presentation also addressed the broader situation of labour rights in Belarus: pressure on workers to join the state-controlled Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, political screening during recruitment, and the use of polygraph tests by HR departments.
The meeting was also attended by Marcio Rezende, Chair of Yara International’s Brazilian Works Council and Sales Manager at Yara Brasil Fertilizantes S.A.
It is also worth noting that several days before the meeting, representatives of BKDP and Salidarnast took part in a session with members of Norway’s tripartite ILO Committee, where the practical implementation of Article 33 of the ILO Constitution in relation to Belarus was discussed.
During the European Works Council meeting, a solidarity action was held for imprisoned trade unionists — Volha Brytsikava, former leader of the independent trade union organisation at Naftan OJSC, and Vatslau Areshka, editor of a trade union publication.
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