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The Executive Committee of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU) gathered in Moscow for a regular meeting 11 April 2019. High on its agenda was the issue of ratification and compliance with ILO conventions in the countries of the GCTU affiliates. The discussion showed that, over the past year, the region’s trade unions had done a great deal of work that helped achieve positive results in the ratification process.

However, participants were concerned that the latest report of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations cites a significant number of ILO convention violations in countries where GCTU member organisations operate.

The Executive Committee recommended that the national trade union centres insist on a speedier ratification by their countries of major ILO conventions, and on their timely and fullest possible implementation in national labour laws. Affiliates should closely monitor the compliance with the ratified labour conventions, identify, publicize and eliminate cases of their violation by the employers and governments, and inform the GCTU and the International Labour Office of any such cases.

The meeting adopted a GCTU Statement on the Centenary of the International Labour Organisation, a GCTU Appeal in Connection with the Day of International Workers’ Solidarity 1 May (see full texts below), and a Statement on the World Occupational Safety Day marked annually on the 28th of April.

Participants pointed to the increasingly urgent need for stricter legislation protecting elder people from all kinds of encroachments on their rights, freedoms, and property. Affiliates were encouraged to get more actively involved in the work to improve the pension provision systems in order to prevent any pension reform from deteriorating the lives of the elderly.

The meeting ended with discussing proposals for the establishment of a permanent framework of videoconferencing between the GCTU and its affiliates.