RUSSIAN, KAZAKH, BELARUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN TRADE UNIONS FOR SOONEST FORMATION OF COMMON ECONOMIC SPACE
MOSCOW, July 9 (RIA Novosti) - Leaders of Russian, Kazakh, Belarussian and Ukrainian trade-unions come out for the soonest formation of the Common Economic Space. It was announced at a press conference before the international congress of the four countries' trade-unions on Friday.
"I come out for our soonest economic integration, however, declarations are still far from real actions," said chairman of the Russian Independent Miners' Trade-Union Alexander Sergeyev, head of the congress organizing committee.
According to trade-union leaders, workers' social conditions should be provided in case of the formation of the Common Economic Space as the four countries have different living standards and profits, which can have negative influence on integration processes.
Moreover, they announced their intention to set up a common coordination center to exchange information and form an informational-consultative network of CIS trade-unions.
The decision to set up the center will be made at the trade-union congress, which will gather about 200 delegates. "This is the first congress of trade-unions," Alexander Sergeyev stressed.
The international congress of Russian, Kazakh, Belarussian and Ukrainian trade-unions dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the trade-union movement in the former Soviet Union will be running in Moscow from July 10 to 11.
Trade-union leaders believe the state should make businessmen realize their social responsibility to employees.
"The myth about the social responsibility of big businessmen should be dispersed," said Alexander Bugayev, President of the All-Russia Labor Confederation.
"Trade-unions have two ways: either talks or strikes," Mr. Bugayev stressed. In his words, trade-unions want civilized talks with businessmen and authorities.
According to trade-union leaders, the dialogue is possible only within government structures, such as the trilateral cooperation commission under the Russian government.
"Belarus lacks this social partnership, although there is an analogue of the trilateral commission," said Alexander Yaroshuk, President of the Belarussian Congress of Democratic Trade-Unions.
Belarussian trade-unions suffer the biggest problems, he noted.
Belarus cannot have an independent trade-union movement because it is controlled by the state system by 95%, Mr. Yaroshuk said. "A trade-union is a kind of a ministry in Belarus," he added.
Pavel Shumkin, representative of the Confederation of Kazakh Free Trade-Unions believes that Russia boasts the most developed and independent trade-union movement in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Kazakh trade-unions manage to avoid pressure of the authorities owing to close links with Russian analogues |
