European Trade Union Committee for Education

• View all news from Member Organisations

On 30 June, trade unions representing workers in all sectors of the economy and staged a series of warning protests across Ukraine. In the major cities trade union activists took to the streets demanding that the government shelve its plans to adopt the anti-union draft law 2681 as well as other anti-social draft laws. In Kyiv, several thousand activists picketed the buildings of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine and the Office of the President of Ukraine.

“Our main demand is to withdraw the anti-union draft law and to prepare any change to the trade union legislation only through the dialogue with trade unions!" – stated Georgiy Trukhanov, TUESWU President.

During yesterday's mass protests, trade union activists handed over the demands of the trade unions to MPs and representative of the Office of the President of Ukraine.  The trade union action evidently had an impact, as the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has deferred consideration of these destructive and anti-social bills. The Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine expresses its sincere gratitude to EI and ETUCE and their member organisations for their solidarity and support.

The demands of the trade union protest were as follows:

• To stop further promotion by the Government of the anti-social draft law on labour which violates citizens’ trade union rights.
• To withdraw from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine the anti-trade union draft law No 2681 initiated by a pro-president party. Trade union reform should be developed only with the participation of trade unions.
• To delete from the draft law No 2275 the article depriving trade unions and employers of the right to equal representation at the boards of social insurance funds.
• To remove Halyna Tretyakova from the position of the Chairman of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans’ Rights for pursuing anti-social policies and inhumane attitudes towards the citizens of Ukraine.
• To resume activities in workplaces and provide financial support to workers affected by the pandemic economic crisis, and to pay wage arrears.
• To maintain the affordability of health care services for the population by giving up the policy of closing health care facilities and dismissing health workers and by ensuring decent wages and safe working conditions for them in times of COVID-19 crisis.