Yara condemned the arrest of BNP activists

The Belarusian Independent Trade Union received words of support from the core team of the European Works Council of Yara. The EWC sent a Statement on the detention of the BNP representatives.

STATEMENT BY THE CORE TEAM OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL OF YARA

On Friday, September 17, the EWC core team received the shocking news concerning the arrest of the BNP chairman BNP Maksim Poznyakov. Before that, there had been no riots or other types of offenses, so we did not understand the reason for his arrest.

As representatives of Yara workers, we have been cooperating with independent trade unions in Belarus since 2019, mainly with the BNP and BKDP. We have great respect for our Belarusian colleagues and their efforts. We do not understand why Maksim Poznyakov was arrested. We are also concerned about the arrests of several BNP representatives this week.

Trade union activities are peaceful activities aimed at helping union members in a variety of ways. These activities should not be considered as a threat.

The BKDP was awarded the Arthur Svensson Prize. It is the highest international trade union honor and is highly respected worldwide. The BKDP and BNP adhere to the labour and human rights standards and should be recognized for this reason. The EWC core team unequivocally condemns the arrest of the BNP representatives who were carrying out their duties.

The EWC Core Team: Geir O. Sundbø (Chairperson), Tom de Smith (Secretary), Christian Selk, Marino Ottavi, Ari Backman