General Confederation of Trade Unions Calls for the Protection of Platform Workers’ Rights
Margarita Usova, Deputy General Secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU), called for enhanced social protection for platform workers during the plenary session “Single Labour Market: Challenges and Prospects” at the Eurasian Economic Forum held in Minsk.
“Technological progress gives rise to new business models and creates non-standard forms of employment such as self-employment and platform-based work.
Trade unions believe that the labor rights and social protections of digital platform workers are currently insufficiently safeguarded. In most CIS countries, non-standard forms of employment remain largely unregulated by law,”- Usova said in her address.
Trade unions, she noted, are consistently working to defend the rights of workers — including those engaged in what is referred to as the digital economy, of which platform-based employment is an integral part.
“Within the CIS, work is currently underway on a draft Model Law on Platform Employment, in which the GCTU is actively involved. We are advocating for provisions that protect the rights and interests of workers engaged via platforms,” - emphasized the Deputy General Secretary.
The draft law incorporates proposals submitted by the GCTU, including:
• protection of platform workers’ rights,
• a ban on civil-law contracts in hazardous occupations,
• mechanisms for collective protection and social partnership.
Particular attention is given to dispute resolution procedures, employment of foreign citizens, compliance with migration legislation, and cross-border considerations.
The draft also reflects the GCTU’s proposal to ensure that individuals have the right to appeal automated fines imposed by digital platforms.
In her speech, Usova emphasized the importance of harmonizing approaches to regulating non-standard and platform-based employment across the CIS and facilitating the exchange of legislative initiatives in this area. According to her, such coordination is essential to building a unified labour market within the CIS.
The General Confederation of Trade Unions was represented at the forum by Margarita Usova, Deputy General Secretary, and Aleksandra Balenko, Head of the GCTU Department for the Protection of Workers’ Socio-Economic Interests.
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.