Free Trade Union Structures to Stay Unregistered

Navapolatsk-Polatsk regional branch of Belarusian Free Trade Union, and its substructures at Naftan state enterprise and Navapolatsk heat power plant has not been able to register at local administration for almost a year.

The trade union lost its legal status during the re-registration campaign. Last year the trade union activists several times applied to Navapolatsk city administration for registration. However, the authorities refused to give official status to the organization because of alleged problems with the documents.

Vitebsk regional executive committee decided, Navapolatsk city administration acted legally when rejected registration to the structures of the Free Trade Union. Head of Justice department of the regional executive committee Viktar Pranik says in the letter to the Trade Union Chairperson: “the decision made by the city administration is in compliance with the requirements of the law”.

Free Trade Union lawyers believe, the response from Vitebsk regional administration was just a formality. The trade union is preparing to file an action to court.