PERC Youth Committee Statement on KTR affiliate dissolution

Statement by ITUC PERC Youth Committee regarding court’s decision to dissolve Trade Union ITUWA

ITUC PERC Youth Committee denounces the decision of a local court in St Petersburg to dissolve Interregional Trade Union Workers’ Association (ITUWA), member of the national trade union centre Confederation of Labour of Russia (KTR) and Global Union Federation IndustriALL.

The court’s decision, adopted on 10th of January 2018 based on the request of the regional prosecutor, violates the principles of freedom of association of workers into the Unions, that is set out in the international legal acts and first of all ILO Convention 87, that Russian federation has ratified.

According to the ILO Convention 87, all workers have the right to freely establish and join Trade Union, decide on Trade Union’s activities and at the same time Government’s representatives should refrain from any interference in the activities of trade unions and the restriction of their rights, including by administrative prohibition.

It is clear, that court’s decision—based on ITUWA’s position on important socio-economic issues as well as ITUWA’s membership in Global Trade Union Federation IndustriALL and solidarity interactions with it—is a major violation of the international obligations of the Russian Federation in the sphere of labour relations.

The court ruling on the liquidation of ITUWA is another alarming signal in a series of increasingly frequent and more blatant facts of violations of labor and trade union rights in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.

The largest national Trade Union centers in Russian Federation, members of ITUC—KTR, that ITUWA is affiliated to, and FNPR as well as their member organizations—strongly condemns decision to dissolve ITUWA.

ITUC PERC Youth Committee members supports their Russian brothers and sisters—members of ITUWA, in expressing their strong protest against the unjust decision of the court and claiming that the legitimate activities of the Union will continue despite the injunction.

ITUC PERC Youth Committee urges authorities of Russian Federation to fulfill their obligations to protect fundamental labour and Trade Union rights and to take all necessary measures to ensure that unfair judgement is abolished and the members of ITUWA could enjoy all the rights of free Trade Union activities.