The Director-General of the International Labour Organisation, Guy Ryder, has called on the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, to prevent human rights violations and “ensure full respect for workers’ rights and freedoms" during the wave of protests that have swept the country in recent weeks.

After the intervention of the International Labor Organization, the International Confederation of Trade Unions, appeals from trade unions from all over the world, including the Confederation of Labor of Russia, Nikolai Zimin was released from arrest.

The Russian Air Traffic Controllers' Trade Union said in a statement that "the sentence should be thrown out and our comrades acquitted and released. That's what truth and justice requires." Earlier in an open letter to the transport ministry, the trade union said the air traffic controllers were simply "in the wrong place at the wrong time."

We are publishing an article by Oleg Shein MP, Vice-President of the Confederation of Labour of Russia (KTR), in which he presents an analysis of the situation in Russia’s social-labor sphere in pandemic conditions and coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

At Volkswagen’s plant in Kaluga, Russia, workers who voluntarily resign are offered five to six months wages. The Interregional Trade Union “Workers Association” (ITUWA), affiliated with the Confederation of Labour of Russia (KTR) and the IndustriALL Global Union, is advising members to wait until an official process to reduce jobs is in place, as it would be more beneficial for the workers.

In Russia on the background of the pandemic coronavirus from the beginning of April 2020 soared, the number of unemployed. The country was actually unemployed every tenth able-bodied citizen, writes “Interfax” with reference to the President of the Confederation of labour of Russia Boris Kravchenko.

The Government wants to emergency right until the end of 2020 to determine the “specifics” of regulation of relations between workers and employers, without changes to the Labour code. Why do it – is unknown.

Shutdowns and confinement now cover most of the world’s population to prevent the rapid spread of the virus within communities and to protect the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions. The economic and social impact as lives and livelihoods are put on hold has disrupted the world of work with low-paid insecure workers carrying the burden in too many countries. The focus of the pandemic response is rightly on containment and mitigation and supporting the health and care workers who are on the front line, and those in many other vital sectors. The spread of the virus is being fought in every workplace, everywhere in the world.