Kari Tapiola: “The project on trade unions will create problems for trade unions”

Representatives of the International Labour Bureau of ILO Kari Tapiola and Karen Curtis are going to visit Minsk. “Activists of trade unions lodging complaints to the International Labour Organization in connection with violation of their rights should not continue suffering from the government’s pressure”, - claimed the deputy head of the department of the International Labour Bureau of ILO Karen Curtis. Thus Ms. Curtis commented on the campaign aimed at discrediting leaders of the independent trade unions’ movement in Belarusian state mass media.  In his turn, the executive director of the International Bureau of Labour Kari Tapiola noted that the problem of Belarus was in the conflict between the government and independent trade unions. “Belarusian legislation and administrative practice prevents creation of independent trade unions in Belarus while it should guarantee fundamental rights to everyone”, - claimed Kari Tapiola. He added that “the project on trade unions prepared by the Belarusian government will create problems for all trade unions including the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus if its current version is adopted without changes”.