Experts from the General Confederation of Trade Unions from CIS countries discussed trade union priorities in the field of occupational safety and health
A round table titled "Modern Methods of Occupational Safety and Health - Priority Tasks for Trade Unions" was held on November 18 by experts from the General Confederation of Trade Unions. This event was the third module of the GCTU's educational program "Promising Areas for the Activity and Development of Trade Union Technical Labor Inspectorates." Participants shared their experiences working in technical labor inspectorates and answered questions from GCTU experts.
The round table was opened by Ilya Udovenko, Deputy Head of the GCTU Department for Labor Protection, Health, and Social Security of Workers. He highly appreciated the work of the GCTU member organizations and expressed gratitude to the participants who are directly involved in investigating industrial accidents and protecting workers. Udovenko thanked them for sharing their experience with such a broad audience:
"Our meeting is attended by over 200 occupational safety specialists from the Commonwealth of Independent States. We all speak the same language - the professional, labor language of trade unions. Technologies are changing, but the need to protect decent working conditions for working people remains. Occupational safety issues are now being discussed at the highest level. In particular, the topic of labor protection was addressed last month during the meeting of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, with trade union activists, and in the conversation between the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and the Chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia, Sergei Chernogaev, which took place yesterday," noted Ilya Udovenko.
Six labor inspectors delivered reports via video conference and answered questions from GCTU experts in Moscow: Lyudmila Koval and Konstantin Kovalyov, Chief Technical Labor Inspectors of the All-Russian Electrotechnical Trade Union and the Trade Union of Workers of the Oil, Gas Industries and Construction of Russia, respectively; and Mikhail Ganichev, Head of the GCTU Department for Labor Protection, Health, and Social Security of Workers.
Zafar Aliev, Chief Technical Labor Inspector of the Council of the Trade Union of Healthcare Workers of Uzbekistan, spoke about providing medical workers with special clothing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Daniyar Bekkulov, Chief Legal and Technical Labor Inspector of the Trade Union of Aviation Industry Workers and State Enterprises of Kyrgyzstan, discussed occupational safety at aviation industry enterprises. Valery Onisenkov, a Technical Labor Inspector from the Federation of Trade Unions of the Primorsky Krai (Russia), shared his personal experience in investigating accidents. The Chief Technical Labor Inspector of the Belarusian Trade Union of Transport and Communications Workers expressed concern over the sharp increase in injuries on the Belarusian Railway. Rajab Ulmasov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the Trade Union of Healthcare and Social Protection Workers of Tajikistan, Candidate of Medical Sciences, raised the issue of psycho-emotional burnout among medical workers due to additional workloads they have undertaken.
The GCTU educational program "Promising Areas for the Activity and Development of Trade Union Technical Labor Inspectorates" enhances the qualifications of relevant trade union specialists in the field of occupational safety. The program consists of four modules: a series of lectures, practical and interactive sessions with leading CIS experts in occupational safety, and testing. Participants who successfully pass the final test will receive GCTU certificates. Over 200 technical labor inspectors from GCTU member organizations are undergoing training in this program.
GCTU News
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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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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.