The leaders of the three national trade union centers in Belgium representing 3.5 million Belgian workers expressed their utter indignation at the mass arrests and detentions of labour movement leaders in Belarus during the past three years. In their letter addressed to the Belarusian Prime-minister Raman Galouchanka they demanded their immediate release.
In their letter submitted to the Belarusian Embassy in Belgium and addressed to the Prime-minister Raman Galouchanka, the Presidents Ann Vermorgen of ACV-CSC, Thierry Bodson of FGTB-ABVV і, and Gert Truyens of ACLVB-CGSLB asserted their solidarity with the Belarusian colleagues and demanded immediate release of all political prisoners-members of independent unions.
The letter that was part of the solidarity campaign organized by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) emphasizes the inadmissibility of politically motivated persecution and terror unleashed against workers in Belarus. The union leaders expressed grave concern in relation to the facts of ongoing discrimination, pressure, and even torture faced by Belarusian political prisoners.
They have also called for the restoration of workers’ right to freedom of association, stressing that this issue is of fundamental significance for the trade union movement.
The Belgian union leaders assured Belarusian independent unions of their complete and unwavering support, solidarity, and meaningful actions on the part of the Belgian government, employers, and general public both in Belgium and internationally.
The letter is yet another testimony of the sustained international attention to the situation in Belarus and a call for action to defend human rights and the freedom of association in the country.