From the history of trade unions in Belarus: an exhibition for the 120th anniversary of the FPB in the Zonal State Archives in Molodechno

In 2024, the trade union movement in Belarus turned 120 years old. The main task of trade unions is to unite the efforts of workers in protecting their socio-economic and political rights and interests. Over the years, a variety of forms and methods of work have been used for this purpose, mainly commensurate with the requirements of the time and era. There were periods of struggle, and periods of confrontation, and creation, and self-destruction. Events are reflected, among other things, in the documentary heritage. Some documents are stored in the Zonal State Archives in Molodechno.

The first associations of workers on a professional basis appeared in 1894, and by 1904 they were created throughout Belarus, and the trade union movement was actually formed. This was a stage of the organized struggle of the broad masses of workers, united by trade unions in defense of their economic interests. As early as May 1907, 101 trade unions were registered in Belarus, uniting 14.5 thousand members. Gradually, the process of centralization of the trade union movement took place, creating inter-union bodies that united various trade unions on the scale of individual professions. At the beginning of the 20th century, trade unions became an important tool for workers seeking to improve their working and living conditions. In Western Belarus, trade union organizations began to form as a response to the exploitation of workers and peasants. Thus, the Zonal State Archive in Molodechno stores newspaper issues from 1925-1926. Thanks to trade union activists, in the conditions of economic instability and political repression, they became a platform for discussing social issues and protecting human rights. The periodicals contain notes on the analysis of trade union development in the world, and demands for reduction of taxes and working hours, and the fight against unemployment and hunger, calls for unity and solidarity, programs for celebrating May Day, economic and political analytics, and much more. During the Great Patriotic War, trade unions took on a huge amount of work to relocate enterprises and evacuate millions of workers and their families to the eastern regions, to provide assistance in their arrangement, to establish production life, to develop competition among home front workers under the slogan: «Everything for the front. Everything for victory!» Many activists waged a partisan struggle.

After the war, trade unions of Belarus got involved in solving the problems of restoring and developing the national economy, fought to improve the working and living conditions of workers and employees, to establish the social sphere. By January 1, 1946, 34 republican, road and basin committees, 49 regional trade union committees and 7,678 primary trade union organizations were created in Belarus. They united 334,623 trade union members, or 64.6% of the total number of workers and employees of the BSSR. The funds of the zonal state archive contain the first minutes and resolutions of the presidiums of the Molodechno and Minsk city and regional industry trade unions, and the first collective agreements, and questionnaires of delegates to the FPB Congresses and inter-union conferences, and work plans, financial and statistical reports… Over 120 years, trade unions have become the most massive public organization that played an important role in the socio-economic and cultural development of Belarusian society. And although the structure and composition of the FPB changed, its goals have always remained unchanged – coordination of actions to protect labor and socio-economic rights and legitimate interests of citizens, strengthening the solidarity and unity of action of the trade union movement of the republic. The modern emphasis is on the development of the system of social partnership.

By the way, the primary trade union organization of the zonal state archive is part of the Molodechno district organization of the Belarusian Trade Union of Employees of State and Other Institutions. The minutes of the meeting of the organizational bureau for the creation of the regional committee of this industry trade union from September 10, 1956 are also permanently stored in the ZGA in MolodechNo.Today, all employees of the zonal state archive are members of the trade union.

1. Fragment of the exhibition

2. Introduction to the exhibition

3. Fragment of the exhibition

4. Introduction to the exhibition

5. Introduction to the exhibition