The issue of Belarusian independent trade unions was raised at a meeting with the EESC

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.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya reminded him that all independent trade unions in the country had been dissolved, while their leaders and activists had been thrown behind bars by the authorities. Possible joint campaigns in support of Belarusian trade unions and political prisoners were also discussed.

Tsikhanouskaya proposed creating an advisory or working group on Belarus within the EESC, which could become a permanent platform for cooperation with Belarusian civil society organisations. According to her, Belarus is now a unique case in which civil society operates largely in exile and therefore requires separate mechanisms of engagement with European institutions.

“I am very grateful to the EESC for seeing Belarus here not as a problem, but as a future partner. While the regime is trying to isolate Belarusians from Europe, we must build new bridges. It is people — civil society, independent trade unions, journalists, and cultural figures — who will form the foundation of a new democratic Belarus,” Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said.

It is also worth noting that at the beginning of June, the issue of workers’ rights in Belarus was considered at the International Labour Conference, where demands were once again voiced for the Belarusian authorities to stop repressing independent trade unions and to comply with their international obligations. The issue has also drawn broad attention from human rights organisations: earlier, Belarusian and international human rights groups, independent trade unions, and civic initiatives issued a joint statement on the systemic human rights crisis in the labour sphere in Belarus.

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