Ukraine: Trade Unions Allege Election Intimidation of Workers
Brussels 25 November 2004: The ICFTU is deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine following the Presidential
elections, including allegations of fraud and partisan utilisation of the "state apparatus" to the extent that
legitimacy of the results officially declared by the National Election Commission of Ukraine are in question.
The ICFTU has received reports of violations of democratic and human rights during the election campaign. Several
workers, including teachers, miners and transportation employees, are reported to have been put under extreme pressure
by their employers to vote for candidate Viktor Yanukovych.
The ICFTU understands that public sector employees were "requested "- sometimes under the threat of losing their jobs -
to vote for Yanukovych and to support his election campaign. Reports from various international organisations, including
the OSCE, provide clear indications of fraudulent behaviour during and after the election process.
The people of Ukraine are entitled to answers to the many questions surrounding the elections, and guarantees that the
democratic will of the people will be respected.
The ICFTU is calling on the Ukrainian authorities to provide full clarification concerning the conditions under which
the election process took place, to answer the allegations of fraud, and in particular to investigate reports of
blackmail and pressure being placed on workers to vote for Yanukovych.
It calls upon the country's Supreme Court, which has officially been seized of the issue, to fulfil its mandate with
full independence and objectivity. Supporting the call of its affiliate the Confederation of Free Trade Unions Ukraine
(CFTUU) for a thorough review of the election process (link to CFTUU letter - http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991220860=EN), the world's largest trade union organisation underlined that, confronted with such a situation, full respect for
democratic principles and procedures is essential to the country's future, and to avoid damaging and potentially lasting
divisions.