Problems of freedom of association and scope of collective agreements in Belarus as a challenge to international labor standards

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu14.2021.417

Abstract

The Law of the Republic of Belarus of 18.07.2019 No. 219-Z of Article 365 of the Labor Code of the Republic of Belarus was set forth in a new version. The interpretation of the norms enshrined in it regarding the scope of collective agreements has caused not only difficulties in practice for trade unions and employers, but also indirectly threatens freedom of association and the principle of non-discrimination. The joint explanation by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, adopted in October 2020, did not remove all questions, since its literal interpretation can lead to discrimination in labor relations. The article analyzes the statement of a Belarusian politician regarding the mandatory creation of trade unions in all private companies under the threat of their liquidation. This statement in comparison with the collective bargaining endeavor of 2020–2021 on amendments and additions to collective agreements at many Belarusian enterprises is compared with international legal acts, the norms of the Constitution of Belarus, and the Labor Code of Belarus. It is concluded that such statements and attempts to include discriminatory norms in collective agreements, making the application of their provisions dependent on participation or non-participation in a trade union, are in contradiction with the norms of the Constitution of Belarus, international labor standards in terms of the generally recognized principle of freedom of association and the effective right to collective bargaining, proclaimed in a number of international legal acts of the UN and the ILO. Proposals are made to overcome the trade union monopoly in terms of collective agreements, expanding the scope of collective agreements in the Republic of Belarus, taking into account the previous historical experience of Belarus and the positive experience of the Russian Federation.

Keywords:

freedom of association, trade unions, collective agreement, scope, conventions, covenant, constitution, workers’ organizations, state, violation

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
 

References

Библиография

Бочков, Александр Ф. 1978. Комментарий к Кодексу законов о труде Белорусской ССР. Минск: Издательство БГУ.

Волк, Елена А. 2018. Деятельность профсоюзов по обеспечению участия граждан в трудовых отношениях в Республике Беларусь». Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Право 1: 23–41. https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu14.2018.102.

Волк, Елена А. 2020. Комментарий к Трудовому кодексу Республики Беларусь: в 2 т. Т. 2. Минск: Амалфея.

Дикович, Игорь И., Виктор И. Кривой. 1994. Коллективные трудовые отношения. Минск: Профессионал.

Козик, Андрей Л., Кирилл Л. Томашевский, Елена А. Волк. 2012. Международное и национальное трудовое право (проблемы взаимодействия). Минск: Амалфея.

Костевич, Карина С. 2015. «Свобода объединения (ассоциации) в международном и внутригосударственном праве». Идея свободы в трудовом праве, под общ. ред. Кирилла Л. Томашевского, 123–173. Минск: Амалфея.

Кривой, Виктор И., ред. 2000. Трудовой кодекс Республики Беларусь: Постатейный комментарий: в 9 кн. Кн. VII, ч. 2, разд. IV–VI (гл. 33–39). Минск: Технопринт.

Лукашенко, Александр Г. 2020. «До конца года надо решить вопрос создания профсоюзных организаций на всех частных предприятиях». БЕЛТА. Дата обращения 26 ноября, 2020. https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-do-kontsa-goda-nado-reshit-vopros-sozdanija-profsojuznyhorganizatsij-na-vseh-chastnyh-414929-2020.

Лютов, Никита Л. 2013. «Принцип свободы объединения в международном трудовом праве и некоторые проблемы его реализации в российском трудовом законодательстве». Профсоюзы и актуальные проблемы трудового, корпоративного и социального права: сборник научных трудов по итогам II Международной научно-практической конференции, 1–2 ноября 2013 г., 37–43. Минск: Международный университет «МИТСО».

Нургалиева, Енлек Н. 2014. «Проблемы модернизации профсоюзного законодательства в Республике Казахстан». Трудовое и социальное право 4: 14–18.

Снигирёва, Ирина О. 2014. «Свобода объединения и право на объединение работников и работодателей». Трудовое и социальное право 3: 20–27.

Сыченко, Елена В. 2014. «Практика Европейского суда по правам человека в области защиты прав профсоюзов». Трудовое и социальное право 3: 44–47.

Томашевский, Кирилл. Л. 2017. «Трудовые кодексы государств — членов Евразийского экономического союза и их место в системе трудового законодательства». Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Право 8 (2): 183–197. https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu14.2017.205.

References

Bochkov, Aleksandr F. 1978. Commentary on the Code of Labor Laws of the Belarusian SSR. Minsk, BGU Publ. (In Russian)

Dikovich, Igor’ I., Viktor I. Krivoi. 1994. Collective labor relations. Minsk, Professional Publ. (In Russian)

Kostevich, Karina S. 2015. “Freedom of association in international and domestic law”. Ideia svobody v trudovom prave, ed. by Kirill L. Tomashevskii, 123–173. Minsk, Amalfeia Publ. (In Russian)

Kozik, Andrei L., Kirill L. Tomashevskii, Elena A. Volk. 2012. International and national labor law (problems of interaction). Minsk, Amalfeia Publ. (In Russian)

Krivoi, Viktor I., ed. 2000. Labor Code of the Republic of Belarus: Article-by-article commentary, in 9 books, book VII, part 2, sec. IV–VI (ch. 33–39). Minsk, Tekhnoprint Publ. (In Russian)

Liutov, Nikita L. 2013. “The principle of freedom of association in international labor law and some problems of its implementation in Russian labor legislation”. Profsoiuzy i aktual’nye problemy trudovogo, korporativnogo i sotsial’nogo prava: sbornik nauchnykh trudov po itogam II Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoprakticheskoi konferentsii, 1–2 noiabria 2013 g., 37–43. Minsk, Mezhdunarodnyi universitet “MITSO” Publ. (In Russian)

Lukashenko, Aleksandr G. 2020. “By the end of the year, we need to resolve the issue of creating trade union organizations at all private enterprises”. BELTA. Accessed November 26, 2020. https://www.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-do-kontsa-goda-nado-reshit-vopros-sozdanija-profsojuznyhorganizatsij-na-vseh-chastnyh-414929-2020. (In Russian)

Nurgalieva, Enlek N. 2014. “Problems of modernization of trade union legislation in the Republic of Kazakhstan”. Trudovoe i sotsial’noe pravo 4: 14–18. (In Russian)

Snigireva, Irina O. 2014. “Freedom of association and the right to unite employees and employers”. Trudovoe i sotsial’noe pravo 3: 20–27. (In Russian)

Sychenko, Elena V. 2014. “The practice of the European Court of Human Rights in the field of trade union rights protection”. Trudovoe i sotsial’noe pravo 3: 44–47. (In Russian)

Tomashevskii, Kirill. L. 2017. “Labour codes of states-members of Euroasian Economic Union and their places in the systems of the labour legislation”. Vestnik Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta. Pravo 8 (2): 183–197. https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu14.2017.205. (In Russian)

Volk, Elena A. 2018. “Some areas of activities of trade unions in ensuring employment in Belarus”. Vestnik Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta. Pravo 1: 23–41. https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu14.2018.102. (In Russian)

Volk, Elena A. 2020. Commentary to the Labor Code of the Republic of Belarus, in 2 vols, vol. 2. Minsk, Amalfeia Publ. (In Russian)

Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Право

Downloads

Published

2022-02-10

How to Cite

Tomashevski, K. L. (2022). Problems of freedom of association and scope of collective agreements in Belarus as a challenge to international labor standards. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Law, 12(4), 1082–1094. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu14.2021.417

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 4 (2021)

Section

Foreign and International Law

License

Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Law" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.