GCTU General Secretary Attends CIS Heads of State Council Meeting
The meeting also endorsed a number of draft documents, including the CIS Cooperation Strategy in Developing the Information Society and Digital Economy until 2030, the Action Plan for Implementing the Second Phase of the CIS Economic Development Strategy until 2030, the Action Plan for the 2026 CIS Year of Health Protection, among others.
Viktor Pinsky, General Secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Union (GCTU), noted that the adopted documents would deepen cooperation among CIS countries and enhance integration across various economic sectors and areas of collaboration.
“As General Secretary of the GCTU, I welcome the declaration of 2026 as the Year of Health Protection in the CIS. Cooperation in healthcare is a top priority for CIS member states. Public health directly impacts workforce productivity and capacity, which are vital for sustainable development of any nation. Trade unions propose a focus on occupational health and safety as part of this initiative,” Pinsky emphasised.
He added that on 29 September, the first phase of the new GCTU training programme, “Promising Directions for the Development of Trade Union Technical Labour Inspection,” was launched. The event brought together over a hundred trade union labour inspectors from Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. Discussions covered the use of AI and other advanced technologies in occupational safety, as well as the implementation of occupational risk management systems across CIS countries.
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.