GENEVA, Switzerland, (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization has adopted a resolution on the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine with 42 for, two votes against and eight abstentions. [Four did not participate in the vote]
Put forward by 47 Member States, the 27-paragraph resolution expresses ‘grave concerns at reports of civilian casualties and attacks on civilian facilities, and the severe impact on workers and employers risking their lives to continue working and operating, including during attacks on hospitals, schools, transportation, businesses and nuclear power plants, further worsened by the lack of humanitarian access.’
It recognizes the ‘enormous scale’ of internally displaced persons and refugees forced to flee their homes, workplaces, enterprises, communities and country, and declares that ‘the continuing aggression by the Russian Federation, aided by the Belarusian Government, against Ukraine is grossly incompatible with the aims and purposes of the Organization and principles governing ILO membership.’
In expressing ‘unwavering support’ for the tripartite constituents in Ukraine – workers, employers and its democratically elected government – the resolution calls on the Russian Federation to ‘immediately and unconditionally cease its aggression, withdraw its troops from Ukraine, end the suffering it is inflicting on the people of Ukraine, as well as refrain from any further unlawful threat or use of force against any Member State and take the path of peaceful resolution consistent with the UN Charter and international law.’
The Governing Body decided that the ILO should temporarily suspend technical cooperation assistance to the Russian Federation except for humanitarian assistance.
Invitations to the Russian Federation to discretionary meetings of experts, conferences and seminars, whose composition is set by the Governing Body, will be suspended.
It also asks the ILO to explore options to safeguard technical cooperation or assistance to all other countries of the region covered by the ILO’s Moscow Office, including the possible relocation of its Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia to an area outside of the Russian Federation.
