Strategy of Trade Unions on Applying ILO Article 33 to Belarus Discussed in Bremen
- Salidarnast Belarus
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
On 30–31 January, Bremen hosted an international trade union conference, held there for the fourth time and traditionally bringing together friends and allies of the independent Belarusian trade unions. This year, the event gathered trade union leaders and representatives of international and national unions from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.
The conference was opened by Christian Wechselbaum, Chair of the Bremen branch of the DGB. In his remarks, he emphasized the value of international solidarity and the trade union movement’s commitment to democratic principles and human rights.
Work and Engagement with International Institutions
Lizaveta Merliak, Executive Director of Salidarnast e.V., briefed the roughly 50 participants on the organization’s activities in 2025. According to her, despite a busy and productive year, the most significant event was the release of the trade union brothers who are now in Bremen — Aliaksandr Yarashuk and Maksim Senik.
“I welcome our brothers and thank all of you who contributed to the release of the trade union leaders from imprisonment,” Lizaveta Merliak noted.
She also highlighted the contribution of all areas of Salidarnast’s work aimed at increasing international pressure on the authoritarian regime in Belarus and protecting workers’ rights.
A representative of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), Maksim Pazniakou, provided a detailed overview of cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the collective actions of democratic trade unions on the international stage. He paid particular attention to the ILO resolution on Belarus and the application of Article 33 of the ILO Constitution. He also highlighted the difficulties of engaging with the employers’ group and stressed the illegitimacy of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FPB), as well as the absurdity of its presence in the ILO building during discussions of the Belarusian case.
According to him, the appointment of the ILO Special Envoy on Belarus, Lélio Bentes Corrêa, remains an important step, even though the Belarusian authorities refuse to recognize decisions related to Article 33 of the ILO Constitution.
Maksim Pazniakou also noted the intensification of BKDP’s work with European policymakers in Brussels, the expansion of cooperation at the UN level, and engagement with human rights organizations that have recently increased their focus on violations of workers’ rights. This was confirmed by the report of UN Special Rapporteur Nils Muižnieks on the human rights situation in the field of labour and employment in Belarus.
A key element of this work remains the tripartite consultations on implementing ILO recommendations, which today are effectively being advanced solely through trade union initiative.
“Lukashenka’s regime has chosen a cannibalistic strategy — essentially trading people, political hostages, in exchange for economic benefits and the easing of sanctions,” Maksim Pazniakou emphasized.
In conclusion, he noted that in an unstable and unbalanced world, trade unions remain one of the key pillars of democracy — a pillar that must be upheld by everyone who shares the values of freedom and solidarity.
Testimonies of Repression and Conditions of Political Prisoners
One of the most emotional and intense panels of the conference focused on political prisoners. Speakers included BKDP Deputy Chair Siarhei Antusevich, BKDP Chair Aliaksandr Yarashuk, and Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BNP) activist Maksim Senik. All three had endured long periods of imprisonment in penal colonies and prisons.
The speakers described the scale of repression in Belarus, targeting not only trade union leaders and activists but also a large part of society — anyone who holds democratic views or openly opposed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. According to human rights defenders, there are more than a thousand political prisoners in the country, though the real number of victims is significantly higher.
Siarhei Antusevich stressed that not all prisoners are included in human rights organizations’ lists, meaning the full extent of repression remains unknown. He noted that around 10% of all inmates in Belarusian colonies and prisons fall into the category of so‑called “yellow‑tagged” prisoners — political detainees marked by the administration with special yellow tags.
This category of prisoners faces particularly harsh treatment: systematic pressure, physical and psychological violence, humiliation, and torture by the administration.
“Our struggle will not end until there is not a single political prisoner left behind bars in Belarus,” Antusevich stated.
Released in 2025, BKDP leader Aliaksandr Yarashuk said in his remarks that the GULAG system in Belarus has, in essence, never ceased to exist — and will persist as long as the current regime remains in power.
“When I first clearly saw myself in the mirror after my release, I was horrified by my appearance. I felt as if I had come from Auschwitz,” Yarashuk shared. He also emphasized that the death of political prisoner Vitold Ashurak in the Shklou colony became a turning point: “If not for his death, many of us simply would not have survived to this day. In essence, he saved others.”
Maksim Senik, released less than two months ago, spoke about the torture and abuse he endured in prison. According to him, ending up in a Belarusian prison means facing a constant threat of sentence extension: the regime systematically uses Article 411 of the Criminal Code, often applied to political prisoners to pressure them and attempt to break their will.
International Solidarity and the Application of ILO Article 33
The international part of the conference focused on practical actions by the global trade union movement and international solidarity in the struggle for the release of political prisoners in Belarus and the application of Article 33 of the ILO Constitution.
Shawna Bader‑Blau, Executive Director of the Solidarity Center, emphasized in her remarks that the practice by which the Lukashenka regime effectively trades people and political hostages is monstrous. She expressed gratitude to Aliaksandr Yarashuk and Maksim Senik for their courage and resilience, noting that the Solidarity Center has consistently supported Belarus’s democratic trade unions for many years. According to her, the organization remains committed to the goal of freeing all political prisoners and ensuring the full application of Article 33 to Belarus.
A key part of the discussion was the international experience of applying Article 33. Representatives of the independent trade unions of Myanmar (IWFM) shared their experience, noting that the article had been applied to their country twice and has proven to be an effective tool of pressure. They also pointed out that the authoritarian regimes of Myanmar, Belarus, Russia, and China are closely cooperating and supporting each other today, making international trade union solidarity especially necessary. According to them, only joint efforts can counter regimes that seek to destroy their opponents.
Representatives of the Dutch trade union federation FNV, including Gesina Hoogsteen, as well as Italian trade unions, spoke about their experience working in a tripartite format with unions, employers, and governments to advance the application of Article 33 to Belarus. Similar work is underway in other countries — Sweden, Lithuania, Germany, Norway, Austria, Poland, and France. Trade union representatives from these countries shared examples of political and trade union involvement at national and international levels.
Maryia Zharylouskaya, international lawyer at Salidarnast e.V., spoke about the organization’s systematic work with UN structures, human rights mechanisms, and international partners who serve as allies in defending fundamental workers’ rights and drawing attention to the situation in Belarus.
Concluding the session, Maksim Pazniakou stressed that the key task for trade unions worldwide today is to prevent dictatorial regimes from prevailing, normalizing repression, and turning human rights violations into a “new normal” in international relations.
The second day was dedicated to practical planning for 2026, with a focus on further applying Article 33 of the ILO Constitution to Belarus. Participants discussed coordination at national and international levels, engagement with trade unions, governments, and international organizations, and steps aimed at increasing pressure on the Lukashenka regime to secure the release of all trade union and political prisoners and restore fundamental workers’ rights in Belarus.
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