EU may choose not to return trade preferences for Belarus

In November, the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will return to considering of a “Belarusian issue”. Alyaksandr Yarashuk, chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions, there wasn’t a “substantial breakthrough” in fulfilling the ILO’s recommendations by the Belarusian government.

At the last session of the International Labour Conference, the International Labour Standards Department urged the Belarusian authorities to give information about trade unions registration in the country and observing the rights of trade unions members by November. The department expressed a hope that the ILO Governing Body may stop positive development in the Belarusian issue at its November session. However, the ILO Governing Body will most likely face disappointment.

“There was no substantial breakthrough in fulfilling the ILO’s recommendations. As it was planned by the International Labour Conference, the Governing Body will return to considering the “Belarusian issue” in November. But there will be no international seminar in October on fulfilling ILO’s recommendations by the Belarusian government, where representatives of the government, the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus and independent trade unions were to take part on a parity basis. On a request of the government, it was postponed till January–February 2009. This seminar was to demonstrate the Governing Body if the government is ready or not ready to go on fulfilling of the ILO’s recommendations. But the ILO Governing Body will consider the Belarusian issue in November without regard to results of the seminar,” Alyaksandr Yarashuk, chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions, told in an interview to www.camarade.biz.

According to the trade unions leader, considering of the Belarusian issue is closely related with the general political context and will take place in the frames of the latest decision of the European Union on Belarus. “It's worth noting that question of trade preferences for Belarus is a special one. The European Union (French ambassador Mireille Musso has recently said it) is not going to adopt any decisions on trade preferences until the ILO gives a clear sign that Minsk is ready to fulfil its recommendations, “ the leader of the BCDTU noted.