Belarusian independent unions receive 2021 Arthur Svensson prize9 April, 2021The Arthur Svensson international prize for trade union rights has been awarded to the independent trade union movement in Belarus. They get it for their fearless struggle for democracy and union rights in Europe's last dictatorship.
Global unions meet Belarusian opposition leader11 March, 2021Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the former presidential candidate in the Belarus elections of 2020 and the main opposition figure, met with representatives of global labour unions in Geneva today, in person and via Zoom.
Right to strike breached in Belarus28 October, 2020Yet again people in Belarus are standing up against Lukashenko, and yet again authorities are responding with violence and oppression.
Sweden must respect international law 4 October, 2023The situation for Belarusian union activists continues to deteriorate, mainly in the country, but also for those in exile. Leader of Free Metalworkers' Union Ala Tsvirko, who left the country in 2021 to avoid detention over her union activities, is now facing deportation from Sweden, putting her life in danger.
Systematic repression in Belarus23 March, 2023This month, both the ILO Governing Body and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have made strong statements on the human rights situation in Belarus, calling on the government to stop persecuting those involved in independent trade unions in the country.
“They called It release, but it was forced deportation” 18 September, 2025Gennady Fedynich (Hennadz Fiadynich in Belarusian transliteration), long-time leader of the independent Radio and Electronics Industry Workers’ Union (REP), was one of many Belarusian trade unionists imprisoned in the crackdown on free unions. Last week, he was unexpectedly taken from prison in Bobruisk, transported under guard to Minsk, and then deported to Lithuania along with other 52 political prisoners. Another prominent trade union leader, Alexander Yaroshuk, chair of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), was also among those released. Both the REP and the BKDP, like other democratic trade unions, were disbanded by the Belarusian authorities in July 2022.Gennady spoke to IndustriALL about how it happened, conditions inside prison and what lies ahead for the trade union movement in Belarus, and stressed his gratutude for the support from IndustriALL and affiliates during the long struggle for workers’ rights.
