New Occupational Health and Safety Technologies and Risk Management: GCTU Launches Major Educational Project
“The next wave of technological advancements is threatening the progress trade unions have made in occupational health and safety. The issue lies in extensive automation: programmes once used to control industrial robots are now used to manage people—digital platforms being a prime example. This carries significant risks. But new challenges always pave the way for new opportunities. Modern digital technologies can facilitate the shift from a compensatory to a risk-oriented model of occupational health and safety, aligning the interests of all three parties in the social dialogue: trade unions, employers, and the government,” said GCTU General Secretary Victor Pinsky in his opening address.
He further stressed that the level of protection for union members depends on their involvement in the process. Understanding new technological processes at the local level, consolidating this knowledge within each industry, and forming a unified trade union position on risk assessment are all crucial.
Mikhail Ganichev, Head of the GCTU Department for Occupational Safety, Health, and Social Safety, spoke about the occupational risk management systems in CIS countries, with a special focus on workplace conditions. The session also featured presentations on the use of AI, digitalisation, and other new technologies in workplace safety by Evgeny Shuporin, Head of the Personal Protective Equipment and Industrial Exoskeletons Laboratory at the Research Institute of Occupational Medicine, and Evgeny Astakhov, Associate Professor of the Occupational Safety and Social Partnership Department at the International University MITSO.
The Deputy Head of the GCTU Department for Occupational Safety, Health, and Social Safety, outlined principles and approaches to preventing and protecting against biological hazards in the work environment.
The GCTU’s educational programme is designed to enhance the skills of specialised trade union experts in occupational safety. The three-month course consists of four modules and will include, in addition to a series of lectures, practical and interactive sessions with leading CIS experts in the field. Participants will also have the opportunity to attend a meeting of the GCTU Commission on Occupational Safety, Health, and Social Safety. Those who successfully pass the final assessment will receive a GCTU certificate.
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.