The July 2022 Annual General Meeting of UK rail and transport union RMT – currently engaged in national strike action to defend wages, jobs and conditions on the railways – passed the following in solidarity with rail workers in Belarus, jailed for taking action in solidarity with Ukraine.

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Submitted by AWL on 6 July, 2022 – 10:05

Free the Belarus Railway 11

This union notes that:
1. on 19 April 2022, more than twenty leaders and activists of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) were detained by State Security. At least ten are still in custody, including the BKDP President and International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Vice-President Aliaksandr Yarashuk, and BKDP Vice-President Siarhei Antusevich.
2. the ITUC states, “The illegitimate Lukashenko regime is trying to outlaw day-to-day trade union activity… The global union movement is 100 per cent in solidarity with the independent trade unions of Belarus.”
3. there are now at least 1200 political prisoners in Belarus.
4. the Russian military used Belarus as a base to attack Ukraine. Rail workers in Belarus successfully sabotaged rail infrastructure to peacefully disrupt the Russian invasion.
5. in late February and early March, eleven rail workers were arrested for taking part in the sabotage: Siarhei Hlebka, Dzmitryi Ravich, Aleh Malchanau, Dzianis Dzikun, Siarhei Kanavalau, Aliaksei Shyshkavets, Siarhei Pleshkun, Yuryi Selvich, Yauhen Minkevich, Dzmitryi Klimau and Uladzimir Auramtsau.
6. some of the eleven have been charged with terrorism offences and face twenty years in prison.

This union resolves to:
1. demand the release of all political prisoners in Belarus
2. raise the case of the arrested rail workers with the Embassy of Belarus in the UK
3. send a message of support via the ITUC

RMT conference demands release of Belarus rail workers

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