Moscow hosted the Inaugural Meeting dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Council of the General Confederation of Trade Unions

President of the General Confederation of Trade Unions, Chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia Mikhail Shmakov opened the meeting.

Secretary General of the General Confederation of Trade Unions Vladimir Scherbakov addressed the participants of the meeting with the report “General Confederation of Trade Unions: 25 years on the Path of Struggle and Solidarity”.

Secretary General – Head of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat Alexey Sergeev delivered the welcoming message of the Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko.

“For 25 years of its history, the General Confederation of Trade Unions has become a reliable platform for trade unions integration, a tool for strengthening unity in the CIS space. Today the General Confederation consistently upholds social and labor rights and interests of the working population in the CIS countries, effectively works to develop social partnerships and strengthen international trade unions' solidarity”.

The message also says that "a large package of laws on economy and finance, social policy and human rights, labor and environmental protection, science and education, information and culture, sports and tourism has been developed in close cooperation with the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly".

Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council Valentina Matvienko expressed confidence that “based on the experience gained, the trade union movement of the CIS member nations will continue to adequately address the relevant issues aimed at strengthening the authority of trade union associations and enhancing their role in the life of society”.

The meeting was also attended by Chairman of the Executive Committee – CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev, heads of CIS intergovernmental bodies and leaders of the CIS trade union associations, CIS international industry trade union associations, and veterans of the trade union movement.