ILC114 - EU Statement - Committee on Application of Standards - Belarus C.87/98
International Labour Conference
114th session
Geneva, 6 June 2026
Committee on Application of Standards
Belarus
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) and Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98)
Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova as well as the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.
This year we commemorate the centenary of this Committee and of the Committee of Experts. Both committees have been at the heart of the ILO supervisory system, and have worked together to ensure that the ILO Member States comply with their commitment to give effect to the International Labour Standards that the governments, workers and employers have collectively adopted and applied at the national level in full sovereignty.
It is therefore particularly regrettable that, in this centenary year, we are once again confronted with the persistent failure of the authorities of Belarus to comply with their obligations under ILO Conventions Nos. 87 and 98, which they voluntarily ratified.
Since the adoption of Article 33 Resolution, Belarus has persistently disregarded the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry and the subsequent recommendations of the supervisory bodies. This has been reflected in the latest findings of the Committee of Experts and the Committee on the Freedom of Association.
The criminal prosecution continues, with almost 850 individuals remaining in detention or imprisonment on politically motivated grounds, including many trade unionists. A significant number of them are held in appalling and inhumane conditions that gravely endanger their physical and mental health, posing a direct threat to their lives.
Many of those who have been released have not been exonerated, were forcibly deported from Belarus, with their passports confiscated, and have been deprived of essential means of livelihood. Existing legislation effectively prevents them from obtaining new identity documents abroad, which further exacerbates their situation, including by making access to pensions and other rights impossible in practice.
Persons allowed to stay in Belarus remain under strict surveillance and face restrictions that hinder their reintegration. This means their punishment continues even after the release.
The dissolution of independent trade unions, including the BKDP, and the continued inability of their members to operate legally persist.
Restrictions on civil liberties, including participation in peaceful assemblies and industrial action, continue to result in arrests, detention and other sanctions.
Legislative measures continue to impose undue restrictions on democratic trade unions’ activities, including access to funding as well as restrictions preventing individuals associated with them from exercising certain professions.
The above examples stand in direct contradiction to the Belarusian authorities’ repeatedly stated claims of progress.
We therefore call on the authorities to take, without further delay, all necessary measures to fully implement the recommendations of the supervisory bodies and the Governing Body, and to ensure that national legislation and practice are brought into conformity with ILO fundamental Conventions.
While the recent releases of 250 political prisoners was a signal of willingness to take step forward, we strongly urge the immediate and unconditional release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners, with the full restoration of their civil and political rights, and the dismissal of all charges. We urge the Belarusian authorities to refrain from further arbitrary arrests and to ensure the right to due process and a fair trial.
We call on Belarus to restore the legal functioning of independent trade unions, including the BKDP, to ensure that legitimate trade union activities are not designated as “extremist activities”, and to ensure that workers can freely exercise their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
We strongly urge Belarus to engage constructively with the ILO. We reiterate our call to the authorities to accept, without further delay, the humanitarian and tripartite missions, and to engage constructively with the ILO Special Envoy, including by granting him full and unhindered access necessary to carry out his mandate. We also thank the ILO Special Envoy for Belarus for his continued efforts and for the oral update.
We note with deep concern the conclusions of the CFA regarding the exclusion of independent trade unions from meaningful social dialogue, as well as the strong dependence of the FPB on the authorities and the increasing state control and interference in its activities. We closely monitor the findings of the Credentials Committee and urge the authorities of Belarus to ensure that delegates to the International Labour Conference are nominated in agreement with the most representative, genuine and independent workers’ and employers’ organizations.
We reiterate our call on the Belarusian regime to cease its involvement in Russia’s brutal, illegal, unprovoked, and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and to respect international law and international human rights obligations.
Chair,
The EU and its Member States, in line with the Article 33 Resolution, call on all international organizations to discontinue any activities that could, directly or indirectly, justify the continued lack of action to address violations of trade union rights in Belarus.
We further stress the importance of ensuring coordinated and coherent engagement between the ILO and other UN bodies in support of the Article 33 Resolution.
We reaffirm our strong support to the application of the Article 33 Resolution and we will take measures in line with it, as needed, until tangible and verifiable progress is made.
We will continue to fully support and reinforce the ILO’s supervisory system.
Thank you, Chair.
- ^ North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.