Belarusian independent trade unions make a statement in UN on persecution of workers
- Salidarnast Belarus
- Sep 4
- 3 min read
On August 29, 2025, a pre-session on Belarus was held in Geneva within the framework of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Maria Zharilovskaya made an intervention at the event as a representative of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP).
The UPR is a process of the UN Human Rights Council whereby the Member States provide reports on their human rights situations, with civil society organizations supplying their own alternative reports. Then, all the materials are reviewed by other UN Member States and the discussions inform a set of recommendations. The final session on Belarus will take place in November, 2025, when the countries will formally present their recommendations.
The BKDP statement stresses the fact that there is no freedom of association in the area of labour relations in Belarus. In 2022, the Supreme Court of Belarus dissolved all independent unions in the country: the Belarusian Independent Union (BNP), the Free Trade Union of Belarus (SPB), the Free Trade Union of Metal Workers (SPM), the Belarusian Radio and Electronics Workers’ Union (REP), and their national TU center, the BKDP. Currently, there is only the Trade Union Federation of Belarus (FPB) operating in the country and it is fully controlled by the State, performing the authorities’ ideological functions.
The BKDP drew the international community’s attention to criminal prosecution of over 70 trade union leaders and activists of whom 26 people had been put in jail. The Belarusian authorities were reported to have declared dozens of trade unionists to be “extremists” and “terrorists”. The BKDP representative spoke of mass dismissals of workers involved in peaceful protest and strike actions in 2020 and of ongoing unacceptable repressions at the workplace level where the KGB and the management engage in ideological monitoring of workers, purging any dissent.
A special focus was put on the authorities’ lack of good faith in their cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO). For over 20 years now, Belarus has been ignoring the recommendations issued by the ILO Commission of Enquiry. In 2023, in an exceptional attempt to make the Belarusian Government comply, Article 33 of the ILO Constitution was applied to Belarus – an unprecedented measure. In 2025, a Special Envoy of the ILO Director-General was appointed for Belarus, yet the authorities still show no sign of their willingness to engage in a meaningful dialogue.
The BKDP had also documented instances of forced labour in the penitentiary system where convicts were made to work under the threat of punishment, doing hard and low-paid work. And the special clinics designed to treat and prevent alcoholism through labour, the notorious LTPs inherited from the Soviet era, take in around 8,000 people annually for whom work in the institution is mandatory and characterized by violations of labour rights and human dignity.
Speaking on behalf of Belarusian democratic trade unions, Maria Zharilovskaya called for:
an end to repressions against workers and union activists, release and rehabilitation of political prisoners;
reinstatement of independent trade unions;
amendments to the law on mass events and foreign aid with the view of ensuring freedom of association;
abandoning forced labour practices in prisons and LTPs;
good faith engagement with the ILO with the aim of fulfilling all international obligations of the country.
“Within the framework of the UPR, we expect the Member States to issue recommendations that deal directly with violations of labour and human rights in the area of industrial relations. This is an exceptionally relevant area affecting every person and we believe it is very important to have an understanding of the current issues in Belarus at the international level and to see there a reflection of the political will to resolve these issues on the part of Belarus as a state that has corresponding obligations under the international law”, pointed out Maria. “Belarus is a country of industrious people who do honest work and deserve to have their rights protected and voices heard.”
The final UPR session on Belarus will take place in November 2025. It is then that the UN Member States will present their recommendations to Belarus which will also reflect proposals coming from the civil society.
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