On September 2, 2020 yet another Council Meeting of International Confederation of oil, gas and construction workers' unions took place.

Discussing the matter of the day online, the participants exchanged their experience in the International Confederation membership organizations activity during a pandemic. Topics discussed in particular were remote work, remote, remote employee training and trade union activity at worksites. The Confederation Council also discussed the pressing issues of creating and maintaining trade union departments in transnational companies and other relevant topics.

Council member, vice President of the ROGWU Vladimir Kosovich thoroughly informed the meeting attendees of the actions and decisions of the trade union bodies and organizations determining the first ROGWU and its organizations working experience during the coronavirus-related restrictions. Other meeting participants have also shared results of their working experience during the pandemic.

On the topic of trade union activity in transnational companies, the attendees have noted that organizations becoming part of transnational companies leads to changes in established trade union working practices and methods. This notion is backed not only by the ROGWU experience, but also that of our colleagues from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Uzbekistan and others. A number of International Confederation Council members not only shared their ways of cooperating with transnational companies, but also turned to the International Confederation President Aleksandr Korchagin in a live broadcast with a request for assistance in establishing mutually beneficial relations with the Russian oil and gas companies management representatives in countries with their presence.

The general discussion touched upon the political crisis in the Republic of Belarus. Svetlana Klochok, the “Belhimprofsoyuz” chairman, provided firsthand information on the country’s status quo, subsidiary organizations in labor collectives and the measures taken by the trade union workforce of Belarus to alleviate the situation in labor collectives and depoliticize them to maintain social and labor rights security of the employees.

Separately, on behalf of “Belhimprofsoyuz” and “Belenergotopgaz”, representatives have expressed gratitude to the  International Confederation membership organizations for being concerned about the developing situation, supporting the actions of two trade unions’ workforce countering the involvement of employees into suspicious political processes. As our Belarusian colleagues have pointed out, a collective appeal from the International Confederation membership organizations executives to the members of the named trade unions urging remain rational and abstain from joining those planning to use collective employee force to reach goals of political destabilization was an on point, well timed and highly needed consolidative action.

Concluding the Council meeting, trade union Leaders congratulated each other on their professional celebration – The Oil and Gas Industry Workers Day – and agreed to arrange another direct  International Confederation meeting scheduled for the current year’s December.

It is to remind you that the International Confederation unites the allied trade unions active in the following CIS countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia