International meeting of solidarity with Ukraine

On February 22, 2024, on the eve of the second anniversary of the beginning of full-scale Russian aggression, an international meeting of solidarity with Ukrainian trade unions was held in the House of Trade Unions in Kyiv.

The organizers, together with the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (FPU) and the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (KVPU), were global and European trade union associations: ITUC, ETUC and ACTRAV. The event was broadcasted with the assistance of international trade union centers for 200 million members of trade unions from 170 countries of the world. The event took place with the support of the Representation of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Ukraine.

In his speech, the Chairman of the FPU, Hryhorii Osovii, thanked Esther Lynch (ETUC General Secretary) and Luc Triangle (ITUC General Secretary) for their support to Ukrainian Unions. The head of the KVPU, Mykhailo Volynets, also spoke at the conference, summarizing the two years of the pro-union activity in wartime conditions.

As it was said during the speeches, since the first days of the full-scale aggression of Russia, with the assistance of their foreign partners, Ukrainian trade unions have been actively helping union members and their families, restoring destroyed trade union buildings in the frontline regions. Trade union houses have provided shelter to thousands of IDPs.

A special role was given to the reports of trade union activists about how workers continue to fulfill their work duties in conditions when the country is regularly exposed to Russian attacks, as well as how they contribute to countering the occupiers. In dialogue with foreign colleagues, trade unionists emphasized the critical importance of international support in order to carry out their key functions despite the challenges of war and the restrictions on rights caused by it.