Belarus at the LabourStart Conference

The Global Solidarity Conference of LabourStart was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, with the support of Friedrich Ebert  Foundation, gathering hundreds of trade union leaders and activists from around the world. The conference was organized by LabourStart in partnership with the Confederation of Trade Unions of Georgia and took place from April 28 to 30. The main theme of the conference was "Trade Union Internationalism Today," but there were also plenary sessions and workshops in sections.

Not only general topics were discussed at the conference, but also problems related to specific countries, including Belarus. There was a section on "Struggle for Trade Union Rights in Belarus", where Maksim Paznyakou acting chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BCDT), Lizaveta Merliak leader of Salidarnast e.V. Association, and Yury Ravavy, leader of “Rabochy Rukh” were among the speakers.

The participants of the conference held an action of solidarity with Belarusian trade union activists who are now in prison or have been convicted. Other important topics discussed included workers' rights in Qatar, Turkey, Palestine, the use of Mastodon as an alternative to Twitter for trade union work, and the success of global information campaigns for trade union rights.

LabourStart has been holding global solidarity conferences for more than 10 years. Previous conferences have been held in London, Washington, D.C., Hamilton (Ontario), Istanbul, Sydney, Berlin and Toronto. The largest of these gathered 450 participants in Berlin in 2014. The Global Solidarity Conference LabourStart is an important event for unions from all over the world, providing an opportunity for leaders and activists to discuss important topics and coordinate their actions.