BELARUS: The IMF afflilates in Central & Eastern Europe have elected an observer in the IMF Executive Committee after Lazlo Pasternak, VASAS, Hungary. The new observer is Aliaksandr Bukhvostau, president of the Automobile & Agricultural Machinery Workers' Union (AAM) in Belarus.
The Belarusian trade unions have hard times. The government has tried to influence the trade union elections in order to remove those union leaders they don't like and take control over the unions.
The two Belarusian affliates of the IMF have registered an official complaint with the International Labour Organisation against the Belarusian government. The trade unions' complaint is in regard to violation of fundamental workers' rights in their country.
The complaint has received strong international trade union support.