Navapolatsk Authorities Refuse to Register Units of Free Trade Union

Navapolatsk City Executive Committee officially refused to re-register the primary units of the Free Trade Union of the heating station and the joint-stock society “Naftan”. They also refused to re-register the regional organization of the mentioned trade union.

The reason for such decision was that there were alleged deficiencies in the filed documents. Meanwhile, the head of the regional Polatsk and Navapolatsk organization of Free Trade Union Uladzimir Antanovich thinks that the reason wasn’t judicially motivated and intends to apply to court.

Polatsk and Navapolatsk regional organization was registered by Navapolatsk CEC on 3 May 2002. The necessity to re-register primary units of the Trade Union appeared as a result of adoption of amendments to its statute. The process of re-registration has been protracted for nine months already. Every time the CEC workers find some inaccuracies in the documents.

Today Mr. Antanovich has applied to Navapolatsk CEC for the permission to hold a meeting of protest on 20 May against persecution of Free Trade Union activists. We should remind that three heads of FTU primary units have been recently fired.

According to information of RFE/RL