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For trade unions, March 8 is not just a day of spring and renewal.
For trade unions, March 8 is not just a day of spring and renewal.
For trade unions, March 8 is not merely a day of spring and renewal. Above all, it is an opportunity to once again reflect on the role of women in the world of work and in global development as a whole. Today, women perform 55% of the world’s total labor. They work longer hours than men—by 6 to 13 hours per week—and still earn less: on average, women’s wages amount to 66–84% of men’s wages, depending on the country. There is objective evidence that the more a country values women’s labor and the smaller the gender pay gap, the more developed its economy. A special issue is the “invisibility” of women’s domestic and, as experts call it, reproductive labor. This is why trade unions should continue to fight for justice for working women.
I congratulate all women of the CIS, my colleagues in the parliamentary corps, and women in trade unions on International Women’s Day. I wish you justice, decent work, success, and prosperity!
Viktor Pinsky
General Secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Unions, Member of the State Duma
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General Confederation of Trade Unions Proposes Securing Trade Union Rights in Enterprise Bankruptcy
General Confederation of Trade Unions Proposes Securing Trade Union Rights in Enterprise Bankruptcy
The General Confederation of Trade Unions’ (GCTU) proposals are reflected in the draft CIS model law “On Cross-Border Insolvency and Bankruptcy.”
Trade unions must have the right to represent and protect workers’ interests in the bankruptcy of international companies, according to Viktor Pinsky, Member of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and General Secretary of the GCTU.
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Role of Public Diplomacy in International Relations Discussed in Russia’s State Duma
Diplomacy takes many forms, but its core purpose is to maintain dialogue, identify common interests, and bring them to fruition, stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He was responding to a question from the State Duma Deputy and General Secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Unions Viktor Pinsky regarding the role and significance of public diplomacy in strengthening peace, stability, and good-neighborly relations.
GCTU news
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GCTU Launches International Educational Program “Regulation of Labor Relations Based on Social Dialogue Principles”
GCTU Launches International Educational Program “Regulation of Labor Relations Based on Social Dialogue Principles”
The program is designed for specialists and trade union activists involved in collective bargaining at all levels of social partnership. It consists of four modules and will include about two hundred participants from six countries.
The first module—a lecture session—will be held on March 3, 2026. Leading experts from the General Confederation of Trade Unions, educational organizations of four national trade union centers (Belarus, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, and Uzbekistan), and Lomonosov Moscow State University will deliver lectures.
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Wages Come First: General Confederation of Trade Unions Pushes for Stronger Worker Protections in Cross-Border Bankruptcy
In case of a company’s bankruptcy within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), employees should be given priority in receiving earned wages, according to the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU). This applies to both foreign workers and employees of transnational companies. The GCTU proposes clarifying the procedure for foreign workers to access wage recovery in the CIS model law On Cross-Border Insolvency (Bankruptcy), which is being drafted by a working group of the Interparliamentary Assembly of CIS Member States. The international trade union association aims to secure privileged rights for workers to receive payments, based on the civil codes of CIS countries and ILO Convention No. 95.
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Digitalization Trend: Innovations in Labor Legislation Across CIS Countries Analyzed by the General Confederation of Trade Unions
A trend toward digitalization in labor legislation has taken shape across the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), according to a study On Certain Changes in Labor Legislation in CIS Countries in 2025 by the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU). The study materials are available on the website of the international trade union association.
News from member organizations
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The Confederation of Labour of Kazakhstan has proposed amending the Constitution of Kazakhstan to grant trade unions the right of legislative initiative
The Confederation of Labour of Kazakhstan (CLK) believes that the Constitution of Kazakhstan should be amended to include the right of legislative initiative for trade unions. This proposal for revising the country’s fundamental document was set out in a letter from CLK Secretary General Murat Mashkenov, sent on February 2nd to President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
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Supporting Mechanisms for Healthcare Workers at the International and National Levels Discussed in Uzbekistan
Anatoly Domnikov, President of the International Confederation of Trade Unions of Healthcare Workers (MKPRZ), and Olga Zhankevich, Secretary General of the MKPRZ, held a working meeting with Farkhodjon Khanapiyaev, Chairman of the Republican Council of the Trade Union of Healthcare Workers of Uzbekistan, and Bakhtiyor Makhmadaliev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan. The parties discussed the socio‑economic situation in the healthcare sector of Uzbekistan, reviewed the supporting mechanisms for medical workers, outlined the main issues on the agenda of the upcoming MKPRZ congress and formed a plan for bilateral cooperation between the trade unions of Russia and Uzbekistan.
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Belarus Drafted a Bill on New Guarantees for Workers
10-minute breaks in the heat and cold, the official registration of the remote working model, and documents on labor protection in an electronic form – such novelties are included in the draft law, which was developed by the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FPB). The bill was discussed on December 23 in Minsk at a meeting of the National Council on Labour and Social Issues, which comprises representatives of the Government, trade unions and employers’ associations.
CIS and EAEU labor market news
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Difference in Wages between Men and Women Investigated by the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia
The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR) surveyed 38,000 men and women to investigate the difference in their wages in similar positions. Trade unions want equal pay for work of equal value.
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Labour Protection and Income Growth: General Collective Agreement Signed in Uzbekistan
The General Collective Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan and the Confederation of Employers of Uzbekistan has defined the main areas of cooperation between the parties on socio‑economic issues for the years 2026-2028. The document was signed on November 1, 2025 within the framework of the IX Kurultay of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan.
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Employers’ responsibility in investigating industrial accidents to be strengthened in Belarus
The procedure for investigating industrial accidents will change in Belarus from January 1, 2026. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has approved a new instruction. Supervision will be carried out by the Department of the State Labor Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labor of Belarus.