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Trade Unions Remain a Key Pillar of Civil Society in CIS Countries – Viktor Pinsky
Viktor Pinsky, Secretary General of the General Confederation of Trade Unions and Deputy of the Russian State Duma, spoke at a May Day demonstration in the Republic of Belarus.
The demands of trade unions are simple and clear: jobs, labor protection, decent wages, and guarantees in case of disability, Viktor Pinsky believes.
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Moscow Honors the Memory of Chernobyl Liquidators
A delegation from the General Confederation of Trade Unions participated in commemorative events marking the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster.
The event was organized by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and took place at the Mitinskoye Cemetery in Moscow, at the memorial to Soviet citizens who died as a result of the Chernobyl disaster.
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Trade Unions Must Contribute to the Fight Against the Global Pandemic of Cognitive Disorders
The General Confederation of Trade Unions has issued a statement in connection with World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
Although there is a lack of statistical data, the impact of psychosocial factors on workers across various economic sectors worldwide is evident to trade unions.
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Creation of a Civilized Migration Space in the CIS Discussed at the St. Petersburg Labor Forum
As part of the business program of the 10th Anniversary St. Petersburg Labor Forum, the International Conference "Common Migration Space of the CIS States: Modern Challenges and Development Prospects" is being held. A delegation from the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU) is taking part in the conference.
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Conditions for Workers’ Active Longevity is a Matter of Economic Stability for CIS Countries – Viktor Pinsky
Special social policy measures in the CIS countries should focus on protecting the rights of elder workers, as this currently determines the economic stability of the Commonwealth nations, according to the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU).
"The aging of the qualified workforce is a global trend, including in the CIS. Therefore, preserving and creating conditions for the active elder workers professional longevity that are skilled, educated, and capable of delivering high-quality results is a matter of economic and social stability for our countries and a guarantee of overall economic development," said Viktor Pinsky, GCTU Secretary General and Deputy of the State Duma.
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Viktor Pinsky: GCTU Should Play a Leading Role in Organizing Trade Union Education in the CIS
Viktor Pinsky, Secretary General of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU), believes that the GCTU should take a leading role in developing a system for training, retraining, and upgrading the skills of personnel, exchanging experiences, and educating leaders and trade union activists across the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
"We already have successful experience in organizing trade union education. This year over 400 people from six countries participated in the GCTU’s first two educational programs. The idea to launch such programs came directly from the requests of our member organizations. Internships are another in-demand format, especially among young people. They provide an opportunity to personally visit international organizations and see their work from the inside," said Viktor Pinsky.
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Viktor Pinsky: GCTU Must Play a Leading Role in Organizing Trade Union Education in the CIS
Viktor Pinsky, Secretary General of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU), believes that the GCTU should play a leading role in developing the system of training, retraining, and professional development, as well as in the exchange of experience and education of leaders and trade union activists across the CIS.
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CIS Trade Unions Develop Recommendations on Consumer Budget for Minimum Wage
On the sidelines of a meeting in Tajikistan, Margarita Usova, Deputy Secretary General of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU), emphasized that the minimum wage in the Commonwealth countries is currently calculated based on the subsistence minimum. This standard was adopted during the transitional period following the collapse of the USSR, at a time of significant economic hardship.
For more details, read the TASS article: https://tass.ru/ekonomika/26734889
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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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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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Salaries on the Rise and Fall: How Workers’ Earnings Changed in CIS Countries
In the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), wages are still unevenly distributed: workers in raw materials, finance, and high-tech industries earn much more than those in socially important fields like public services and agriculture. At the same time, in most CIS countries, both nominal and real wages increased in 2025. The General Confederation of Trade Unions analyzed salary trends both across the CIS as a whole and in specific economic sectors.
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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.
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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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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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Unified Repository of Collective Agreements and Smart Contracts: GCTU Sets the Vector for Trade Union Digital Transformation
Trade unions risk losing their ability to effectively protect workers rights amid the growth of the platform economy without rapid digital transformation. Experts from the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU) in the academic essay Social Dialogue in a Polycentric World view digitalization as a strategic priority, without which it is impossible to maintain the regulatory role of the trade union movement in labor relations.
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How to Prevent "Serfdom" in the Platform Economy: A Study by the General Confederation of Trade Unions
The blurring of employment boundaries, the rejection of employer status, and the denial of basic social guarantees to workers affect millions employed in the platform economy, according to a new academic essay Social Dialogue in a Polycentric World by the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU).
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Holidays in 2026: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center Studies Production Calendars of Eight CIS Countries
In the new year, the “eight” countries—Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—citizens of Azerbaijan will enjoy the biggest number of the days off: 124, while Belarusians will have the fewest: 111.
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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.
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Viktor Pinsky: “Main Trade Union Principles – Solidarity and Unity – Help Look Confidently into the Future”
Viktor Pinsky, Secretary General of the GCTU, congratulated the heads of GCTU’s affiliated organizations, trade union activists and trade union members on New Year 2026.
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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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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.
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New Minimum Wage Campaign: Current Tasks of the General Confederation of Trade Unions Discussed at Meetings of the Executive Committee and Council of the GCTU
Meetings of the Executive Committee and the Council of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU) were held in Moscow on December 8. Trade union leaders from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan discussed current socio-economic issues, achievements and new areas of work of the GCTU.
One of the main issues considered at the meeting of the Executive Committee was the results of the GCTU’s solidarity campaign “Minimum Wage – to Minimum Subsistence Level”. Currently, in many CIS countries, the minimum wage is significantly higher than the subsistence minimum. In Uzbekistan, the minimum wage is almost twice as high as the subsistence minimum; in Russia, the minimum wage will be more than 30% higher than the subsistence minimum starting from January 1, 2026. Members of the Executive Committee of the GCTU are confident that the tendency of increasing wages in CIS countries should continue. In this regard, one need to set a higher minimum wage standard.
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Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan supports amendments to the Labour Code
Deputies of the Milli Mejlis of Azerbaijan submitted to Parliament a bill on payment for work on weekends. At a meeting of the Committee on Labor and Social Policy, they received support from Sahib Mamedov, Chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan.
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“No to Sanctions, Yes to Trade Union Consolidation and Social Partnership”. Statement of the Participants of the International Conference in Belarus
The participants of the conference “Modern Economic Challenges and their Impact on Labour Relations” (Minsk, December 11) called for consolidating trade union approaches, strengthening social partnership, and developing innovative ideas for ensuring labour rights and social guarantees.
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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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Kairat Toroev was appointed the Head of the Youth Council of the General Confederation of Trade Unions
Kairat Toroev became the Head of the Youth Council of the General Confederation of Trade Unions. The decision was unanimously adopted by the participants of the meeting of the GCTU Youth Council on December 7 in Moscow. The event was attended by 13 council members from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Russia and Kyrgyzstan.
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Viktor Pinsky: “Trade Unions of the CIS Countries Propose Setting a Higher Minimum Wage Standard”
The minimum wage in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States should reach a level that ensures a fulfilling life for citizens, said Victor Pinsky, deputy of the State Duma of Russia, Secretary General of the General Confederation of Trade Unions. According to the deputy, the minimum wage should be brought to the level of the minimum consumer budget.
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Chairman of GCTU and President of Soyuzmetall Trade Union Center discussed the promotion of decent work principles in CIS
On December 2 in Moscow, Viktor Pinsky, Secretary General of the General Confederation of Trade Unions, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, and Asylbek Nuralin, President of the International Association of Trade Unions – Soyuzmetall Trade Union Center, Deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, discussed socio-economic development in the CIS countries and strengthening of trade union cooperation. The meeting was attended by Deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, member of the Committee on Legislation and Judicial Reform Nikolay Arsyutin.
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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.
GCTU News
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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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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.