Irakli Petriashvili, Chairman of the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC) and President of the Pan-European Regional Council (PERC), is on a business visit to Brussels.
On March 10, 2023, Irakli Petriashvili chaired the meeting of the ITUC-PERC Executive Committee.
At the meeting of the committee, the importance of solidarity of the trade union movement for workers and member organizations was emphasized once again.
The members of the committee unanimously condemned the war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people, whose struggle is aimed at: democracy, sovereignty and territorial unity. At the same time, they urged the Ukrainian government not to put at risk the fundamental principles of the law, respect for workers’ and trade union rights, equality and genuine social dialogue at this difficult moment for the country.
The members of the committee expressed their solidarity with the leaders of the independent trade unions of Belarus, who are in the captivity of the regime. They unanimously condemned the unjust judicial system in the country, where the leaders defending workers’ rights are already waiting for the verdict of the appeal court in March. “They are waiting” – although they know for sure that the first-instance court ruling on long-term imprisonment will not be changed! At the meeting, they discussed the actions to be implemented by ITUC-PERC in the future.
The committee members once again expressed their solidarity with the trade unions and the people of Turkey after the terrible earthquake. The European trade union movement has unanimously stated its position that it will continue to support the Turkish population and trade unions in this tragic situation.
The PERC Executive Committee focused on the housing affordability crisis and called for a strong solidarity approach from all to tackle it. The announcement was made under the slogan: End the Housing Cost Crisis: Raise Wages, Tax Profits, Protect People!