The Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine reports in the second issue of its International News Bulletin that 2,000 aviation workers joined in the month of August.

To download Bulletin, click on image.

The workers, former members of a Soviet-run union organization, represent 18 local unions in 14 regions. Leaders plan to work with the CFTUU on engaging the government around a number of worker concerns, such as regulation of duty time and rest periods, that affect flight safety.

Also in the news, the CFTUU announced that it would oppose a draft labor law that it feels undermines worker rights and targets independent trade unions. According to the proposed draft, workers disciplined or investigated by their employer would lose their right to union representation. The law also would eliminate legal enforcement of collective bargaining agreements.

The newsletter also lauded the victory of Khrustyna Kril, one of 62 teachers in the Lviv school system who in 2005 sued for unpaid wages in the European Court on Human Rights. The ministry of education had refused to pay a legally mandated long-service bonus, even under court order. The European Court ordered the government to pay Kril not only the bonus, but also 1,000 Euros in “moral damages.” The remaining 61 teachers are now waiting for their cases to be heard.

Stuck for hours in Lviv’s paralyxing traffic jams, taxi drivers decided to organize a one-day protest, says the CFTUU. The drivers, members of the Free Trade Union of Motor Transport Workers of Ukraine, demanded that the local government hold city transportation team members accountable for the disorder and chaos on the roads, calling for a change in management of the city transportation administration.

Finally, the CFTUU expressed solidarity with Georgian workers, saying that it is “deeply concerned about the current situation in Georgia and the impact it is having on innocent civilians.” The Solidarity Center has established a Georgian Workers Relief Fund.

Download the first and second issues of the CFTUU newsletter