On June 15, the Governing Body of the International Labor Organization (ILO) adopted a decision that approved the Report of May 24, GB.351/INS/7, on the changes, that occurred after the adoption of the resolution concerning Russian aggression against Ukraine from the point of view of the ILO mandate.
Let us recall, that at the 344th session, in March 2022, the ILO Governing Body adopted a resolution regarding the Russian aggression, in which it suspended technical cooperation or assistance activities by the International Labor Office in Russia, with the exception of the needs of humanitarian aid, and Body also suspended invitations from Russia for participation in all meetings.
The issue of Russian aggression is periodically reviewed by the ILO Governing Body, and in March 2024 it instructed the ILO Director General to continue to monitor the consequences of Russian aggression for the world of work, including monitoring human rights violations and the situation of workers in the maritime industry and nuclear energy.
As part of these processes, in 2022-2024, our Association sent to the ILO up to ten detailed information prepared by Professor Borys Babin and other experts about the threats from Russian aggression to labor in the maritime sector, including aspects of the occupied Crimea.
In the new approved report, the ILO states that ongoing air strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, including power plants, are exacerbating existing uncertainty regarding business continuity.
It is indicated that workers living in territories occupied by Russian troops continue to report ILO about violations of their labor rights and abut their forced membership in “Russian trade unions” in the occupied territories.
The ILO report notes that although Ukraine managed to continue exporting large volumes of agricultural products after Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in the summer of 2023, Ukraine’s port infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube is subject to constant air attacks, which puts the lives of port workers and sailors at risk, as our Association has notified the ILO many times.
In a decision dated June 15, the ILO Governing Body once again expressed its deepest concern about the ongoing Russian aggression with the support of the Belarusian government against Ukraine and the consequences of this aggression for the tripartite private sector – workers, employers and the democratically elected Government of Ukraine, as well as for the world of work outside of Ukraine.
The Administrative Council once again called on the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally stop the aggression and withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine and instructed the ILO General Director to continue to monitor the consequences for the sphere of labor of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and to report to the ILO Governing Body at its next session on the changes that have occurred in the light of the resolution, including monitoring of human rights violations and the status of workers in the maritime and nuclear power industries.
