WILL AT LAST THE WORKING GROUP BEGIN TO WORK EFFECTIVELY?
On March 3 the BKDP Vice-president Nikolai Kanakh has attended a meeting of Working group of the Council for improving social and labor legislation under the auspices of Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. The working group members discussed the proposals earlier submitted by the BKDP to simplify procedures for registration of trade union structures, as well as proposals of employers to amend the Labor Code of the Republic of Belarus. The working group members failed to reach the consensus on adopting decisions. It was decided that these and other issues will be considered at the next Working group meeting.
According to Nikolai Kanakh, it is not possible at all to evaluate positively and effectively the work of the Working group of the Council for improving social and labor legislation under auspices of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. The group meets not regularly. Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection, Igor Starovoitov, when opening the meeting, also noted that it has taken too much time since the previous meeting, which was held in the in mid-October of the last year. He also stressed that the Council in good time (November 2010) has received the BKDP proposals to improve procedures for registration of trade unions and their organizational structures in line with recommendations of the Inquiry Commission of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
We recall that in May 2010, members of the Council on improving labor and social legislation have decided to establish a Working group consisting of representatives from all parties involved in the work of this body – each two representatives from government, unions and employers. The Working Group is to examine the issues that require preliminary expertise from the experts. It was assumed that the Working group would strengthen the activities of the Council in developing proposals for improvement of labor legislation.
The Working group members discussed in a fragmentary manner the BKDP proposals on simplifying procedures for registration of trade union structures https://bkdp.org/home/1/&p=news&newsid=861, as well as suggestions of employers to amend the Labor Code of the Republic of Belarus in term of setting up so-called "works councils" in the companies. During the discussion the Working group members have failed to reach a consensus and to adopt decisions.
The BKDP Vice-president proposed to place on the agenda of the next meeting the issues of putting trade union structures on record without submitting legal address to a registration body. Also he proposed to consider cases of violations of the rights of independent trade unions at Naftan oil refinery, at Minsk Automatic Lines Plant, Bobruisk Tractor Parts and Components as well as holding a workshop in the near future with participation of the ILO experts for identifying reasons of Government’s failure to implement CoI recommendations.
It was decided that the next meeting will be held on March 17 to discuss registration of trade union structures, the proposed by employers changes to the Labor Code, as well as issues of using non-reimbursable foreign aid by trade unions and their participation in mass actions and events in the context of the ILO recommendations.
| 09.03.2011 |
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