Last week, Belarussian power holder Alexander Lukashenko ordered the country’s judiciary to ban free and independent trade unions. This follows arrests of several trade unionists earlier this year in April.

The Presidium of CESI, the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions, strongly condemns the prohibition of free and independent trade unionism in Belarus and calls on President Lukashenko to revoke this decision and allow all unions and their leaders and affiliates to operate and work freely and without repression.

Since its creation in 1990, CESI has been the voice of trade union pluralism and the protection of free and independent trade unions in Europe. CESI considers trade union pluralism as a core component of freedom and democracy and views non-discrimination and minority rights as a key to cooperative and solidarity-based societal relations.

Also in the EU and the Member States, trade union pluralism faces obstacle and challenges, and many large union organisations enjoy structural and unjustifiable privileges to the detriment of smaller, free and independent ones.

Both at the EU level and in the Member States, framework conditions must be put in place to ensure that, beyond monolithic single trade union organisations, sufficient space and consideration is given to the voices of non-majoritarian trade union organisations.

Europe must not only condemn Lukashenko’s attack on free and independent unions in Belarus, but also set an example for effective trade union pluralism and inclusive social dialogue itself.

Full statement as PDF