Human Rights Defenders Submit Report on Labour Rights Violations in Belarus to the UN Special Rapporteur
A coalition of Belarusian non-governmental organisations and the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions has prepared an analytical report on the human rights situation in the field of labour in Belarus. The document was submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus for inclusion in the annual report to the UN General Assembly in October 2025.
The Right to Defence project was glad to contribute to this important document, which highlights the systemic and large-scale violations of labour rights in the country and offers recommendations to the Belarusian authorities and the international community.
The report identifies several key problems, including:
the effective elimination of freedom of association and of independent trade unions;
persecution of activists and discrimination against workers on political, gender and other grounds;
widespread use of forced labour;
politicisation of labour relations and pressure on “inconvenient” employees;
violations of the rights of women and vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities and former political prisoners;
a serious deterioration in the independence of the legal profession, resulting in limited access to legal assistance.
The report also draws attention to Belarus’s systematic evasion of its international obligations on labour rights, including its longstanding disregard of International Labour Organization (ILO) recommendations and withdrawal from several international treaties guaranteeing workers’ rights.
The 113th Session of the International Labour Conference was underway in Geneva. The authors of the report have called on participants to show solidarity with repressed Belarusian workers and to increase pressure on the Belarusian authorities to:
end violations of fundamental labour rights;
restore independent trade unions;
comply with obligations under ILO conventions;
ensure international monitoring of the situation and support for victims.
The report was prepared in cooperation with:
the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (coordinator);
the Association of Belarusian Business Abroad;
Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House;
the Belarusian Helsinki Committee;
Lawtrend;
the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
PEN Belarus;
the Right to Defence project;
the Rabochy Ruch initiative;
the Human Rights Centre Viasna.
The full text of the report has been submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur and will contribute to the international assessment of the human rights situation in Belarus.