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.
Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Alexey Kostrubitsky, read out a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the participants in the liquidation of the Chernobyl disaster:
"We bow our heads before the heroism of those who, 40 years ago, stood in the path of fire during the liquidation of the consequences of the man-made disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. They did not falter, did not retreat, and fulfilled their professional, civic, and human duty to the end, many at the cost of their own lives.
The courageous actions of the rescuers, who came from all republics of the former Soviet Union, prevented a catastrophe of global scale. We will always honor the memory of the extraordinary bravery of the plant workers, firefighters, military personnel, builders, and medical staff. Despite the mortal danger, they eliminated the consequences of the accident, evacuated people, and conducted recovery operations. Today, Russia has implemented measures for the social protection and rehabilitation of those affected by these tragic events."
Representatives of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Rosatom State Corporation, relatives of the liquidators, and public figures took part in the rally. They laid flowers at the memorial to Soviet citizens and honored their memory with a minute of silence.
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.