Decent wages, labour protection, digitalization: current tasks of trade unions discussed at the FNPR General Council
In the program report “On the Activities of the FNPR and the Tasks of Trade Unions at the Present Stage”, Federation Chairman Sergey Chernogaev assessed the current economic situation. He pointed to the slowdown in the growth of the Russian economy due to tight monetary policy. He drew attention to the growing risks for the labour market, including a reduction in the number of vacancies and an increase in wage arrears.
The main topic of the report was the FNPR Program “For a Fair Economy”, which defines strategic goals. Sergey Chernogaev identified several priority areas of work. This is a decent wage. The FNPR intends to raise the minimum wage to the level of the minimum consumer budget, which, according to the Federation’s calculations, should amount to at least 59,625 rubles in 2025. In addition, trade unions plan to protect the rights of new categories of workers, in particular, to seek the extension of basic social and labor guarantees to platform-based employees. Another priority is to strengthen labour protection control.
The FNPR intends to counteract the weakening of state supervision in the labour field, improve trade union control based on a risk‑oriented model, and seek tougher responsibility for concealing accidents. Another area is the development of social partnership. The Federation plans to legislatively consolidate the mechanisms for implementing the constitutional guarantee of social partnership and strengthen the role of sectoral agreements.
In 2026, the FNPR will have to actively participate in collective negotiations to conclude a new general agreement and seek to include trade union initiatives in its text, Sergey Chernogaev said.
In addition, the FNPR General Council discussed the need for digital transformation of trade unions and the creation of an IT-platform for the provision of personal services. It was decided at the meeting to form a permanent commission of the FNPR General Council for the support of participants and veterans of a special military operation, as well as their family members. The Commission will be headed by Sergey Nekrasov, FNPR Deputy Chairman.
At the suggestion of Sergey Chernogaev, Anton Doroshev was elected the new Deputy Chairman of the Federation. He will be responsible for digitalizing the work of trade unions.
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.