First SPM Council meeting of 2022
A meeting of the Council of the Free Metalworkers’ Union (SPM) took place. This is the first meeting since the XII Congress of the SPM and the first one in 2022.
A number of issues related to the current and planned activities of the trade union were put on the agenda. Among other things, the staffing and work plan of the SPM Council for the first half of 2022 was adopted. Also, the members of the Council were provided with an estimate of income and expenses of the trade union for 2021 and a plan of income and expenses for 2022. By the way, the spending plan has increased compared to the previous year, so you and I have a lot of work to do to bring new members to the union!
In addition, SPM Council secretary was elected at the meeting – Mikhail Gromov, chairman of the SPM primary trade union organization at the Minsk Tractor Works.
SPM Chairman Aleksandr Bukhvostov presented a draft resolution “On the strategy and tactics of the trade union in the current political and socio-economic situation”. Due to the deteriorating conditions, it was proposed to make some changes to the scheme of work of the SPM, in particular, to adjust organizing and information work, to restore the legal service of the trade union and to involve the maximum number of trade union activists in educational programs.
Further, the SPM Council adopted a resolution “On the attitude towards the draft amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and the upcoming referendum”. The Council considered that the draft Constitution contains innovations that reduce the scope of constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens and worsen the social and legal status of wage workers. So, it was decided to consider the implementation of these amendments unacceptable and to support the amendments and additions to the Constitution put forward by the Belarusian Left Party Spravedlivy Mir (Fair World).
At the end of the meeting, Aleksandr Bukhvostov made a proposal to create within the framework of the Council a number of commissions and working groups in various areas of trade union activities, be it legal, financial or educational activities. The Chairman motivated this proposal by the participation of the Council members in the fulfillment of the tasks set by the XII Congress.
The Council ended with a speech by SPM Deputy Chairman Yanina Malash on the creation of a single script for the SPM organizers. The Council approved a working group of six people which has already started developing the script. It was also decided to hold a seminar on the brainstorming method in order to develop promising directions for the development of an independent trade union movement in Belarus.