Ukrainian trade union federation -

   On June 25, 2008 some Ukrainian Internet news sites (pravda.com.ua, podrobnosti.ua) published articles throwing mud at the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine and its President. It was done, as usual, by the chairman of the National Trade Union Forum Myroslav Yakibchuk. He asserts: «...the court adjudged the leader of official trade unions to be criminal idler».

   Yakibchuk’s statement was grounded on the fact that the FPU had addressed the Kiev Economic Court with a claim to adjudge the information spread by Yakibchuk in some mass media to be false and disgracing.

   Yakibchuk’s assertion that this claim was considered by the Kiev Economic Court and the facts contained in it were recognized by the court as false, does not correspond to reality. Actually the court even did not considered the claim per se and therefore it could not make any decisions on this issue.

   The court only decided to suspend the consideration of the case in the Economic Court and to consider it per se in the court of general jurisdiction. The Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine considers that this decision was made without adequate legal grounds and therefore on 12 June 2008 the FPU appealed the decision.

    The Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine stresses that it will prove in courts the false character of the information disseminated by Yakibchuk in mass media and will not allow any one to disgrace the FPU, honour and dignity of its leaders.

FPU Press Service