Ukrainian trade unionists and feminists speak out

A Ukrainian nurse in Brussels

On 26 March, Oksana Slobodiana, president of the Ukrainian healthcare workers' union "Be Like Us", spoke at the European Parliament as part of the event "In Solidarity with Ukraine" and on 27 March at the Brussels conference organised by the European Network of Solidarity with Ukraine. The International Labour Network of Solidarity and Struggles has maintained relations of solidarity with this trade union organisation for three years. We are publishing both of its interventions.

Be like us in the European Parliament

On March 26, Oksana Slobodiana, president of the medical movement Be Like Us, spoke at the European Parliament as part of the In Solidarity with Ukraine event.

She presented the position of Ukrainian healthcare workers, called for solidarity with Ukraine, and emphasized the importance of the European experience for trade union struggle and improving working conditions in Ukraine. The role of women in supporting and rebuilding Ukraine was also discussed.

“Dear meeting participants, colleagues, and partners! I have the honor to present to you a brief overview of the labor rights situation in Ukraine through the prism of the experience of our organization, the Be Like Us medical movement. We work in the field of protecting the labor rights of healthcare professionals, and therefore face many challenges in this area every day,” said Oksana Slobodiana.

According to her, the situation has become considerably more complicated due to the war and economic instability. Medical workers, especially nurses, have faced the following problems:

Many social and health workers work in stressful conditions with increased risks (especially those who remained in the war zone);
Low level of wages and social security benefits; delays in salary payments due to financial difficulties and unstable financing;
Overwork of staff, which leads to burnout and psychological problems for health professionals.

"And the most painful thing is that healthcare reform began in Ukraine even before the war. Since then, medical institutions have been closing, hospitals have been optimized and merged. This has had a significant impact on healthcare workers, who are losing their jobs. This process didn't stop during the war. The situation has worsened considerably: many medical facilities were closed as a result of shelling and artillery fire. Job losses, occupation, mass migration, and layoffs are not the only problems we are facing today," she said.

Oksana Slobodiana emphasized that Be Like Us is actively engaged in protecting the labor rights of healthcare professionals and calls for the creation of unions in the field.

"We explain that this is an important tool for protecting labor rights. It not only helps ensure decent working conditions, but also improves the healthcare system as a whole. The joint efforts of trade unions, healthcare workers, and the state are the key to the efficient operation of healthcare facilities and preserving the nation's health," Oksana Slobodiana emphasizes.

Despite these positive developments, much remains to be done, such as strengthening enforcement of labor rights and improving social protection.

Cooperation with international partners plays a key role in improving the situation. We call for joint action to protect labor rights and create fair working conditions for all, she said.

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Be like us at the Brussels conference

The Role of Women in Ukraine's Reconstruction: The Example of Activists of the Be Like Us Medical Movement

During her speech, the representative of Be like us nous also emphasized that in the context of the war, while most men are at the front, it is the women who have become a strong support behind the country.

The situation in the healthcare sector is catastrophic: in 2024, more than 1,500 medical facilities were damaged or destroyed. In the war zone, people are deprived of full access to quality medical care. And here again, everything depends on the resilience and indomitability of Ukrainian healthcare workers, including women. "Ukrainian healthcare workers have many opportunities to lead a peaceful life and have good job prospects abroad, but they cannot leave their country and their compatriots in this mess," says Oksana Slobodiana.

According to her, the self-sacrifice of Oksana Umanets, a nurse in the anesthesia department of the Chernihiv Regional Hospital, who remained in the occupied city of Chernihiv in April 2022 and continued to work, deserves to be highlighted:

During the bombing of the hospital, she single-handedly lifted a soldier with a severed limb into the operating room. He weighed 120 kilograms (264 pounds) with all his ammunition. Oksana, who weighs 55 kilograms (121 pounds), was able to save him. And there are many more stories like this.

She also reports that in 2023, approximately 80% of volunteer initiatives in Ukraine involved women; one in three NGOs is headed by a woman. 90% of the members of Be Like Us are also women.

“Ukrainian women are not only engaged in humanitarian work, they also influence political processes. Activists of the Be Like Us movement are actively responding to new healthcare and social protection reforms. They represent the community’s interests internationally and engage foreign partners in defending the labor rights of healthcare workers,” Oksana Slobodiana emphasizes.

Currently, activists of the Be Like Us medical movement are striving to make a significant contribution to the reconstruction of Ukraine, focusing on the areas of medical care, social support, and civic engagement. These include, in particular:

- the restoration of medical infrastructure and medical support for the population;

- social support for health professionals (advocating for adequate working conditions that will not only keep doctors who have stayed in the country, but also bring back those who have left; helping combat doctors, supporting their return to civilian medicine; advocating for the recognition of the combat experience of caregivers who have returned from the front, with appropriate status and benefits)

- educational initiatives (information events on the role of doctors in society; seminars and training for doctors on health, mental well-being, protection of labor rights and prevention of "burnout");

- participation in international grant programs and cooperation (search for international partners to attract funds for the reconstruction of medical institutions and social projects, cooperation with government and public health initiatives, cooperation with international organizations on the internship of Ukrainian doctors abroad);

- the creation of branches of the organization where health professionals can talk about their problems.

A feminist voice from Ukraine at the Brussels conference

Ivanna Vynna, member of the Ukrainian feminist group Bilkis, participated in the workshop on feminist struggles in Ukraine at the Brussels conference organized by the European Network of Solidarity with Ukraine on March 27. We publish the text of her speech below.

 

If Russia has not yet fought with you on the battlefield – it is still fighting with you, but in the information field, influencing elections in your country, spreading disinformation, and promoting propaganda. It denies the existence of Ukrainians as a separate nation and resists the recognition of imperial policies as criminal. It destroys nations striving for decolonization, threatens women with sexual violence (which has become its military strategy), kidnaps children, and demonizes queer people. Even its so-called liberal voices serve one purpose – to justify and normalize Russia. And Ukraine is allegedly “to blame,” “provoked,” “allowed too much,” and other rhetoric often applied to those suffering from violence. Therefore, we must remember that the guilt always lies with those who first took up arms and crossed an internationally recognized border (including one recognized by themselves).

At this time, for us, for the Bilkis civic organization, it is important to engage in the transformations of Ukraine by amplifying the voices of women and queer people, talking about violence and inequality, and promoting inclusivity. We have made significant progress in these areas. The abolition of professions banned for women, the updated orthography rules for using feminine forms, laws to combat hate crimes, sex education, and the fight against gender-based violence – Ukraine is developing despite all the hardships of the war.

Ukrainian society is becoming increasingly aware of gender equality issues and the need for decolonization. This is a logical continuation of our cultural and intellectual tradition, interrupted by Soviet occupation. Our feminist movement has been closely intertwined with the movement for independence from empires (at that time – the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires). However, resistance to Russian colonization is still a question of our survival. As it is for many countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Because if Ukraine does not stand strong – they will be next. Russian propagandists openly talk about this in prime time on their television.

As for the activities of the Bilkis organization, we are united by five core values: 

- Feminism (the fight for women's rights) 

- Horizontality (absence of hierarchies and domination, collective decision-making, open communication, equality of voices) 

- Social equality (we care about the rights of vulnerable groups, social justice, and the development of tools for public influence) 

- Decolonization (we oppose colonial policies and aggressive wars, we stand for the independence and development of previously colonized nations) 

- Intersectionality (we talk about discrimination, keeping in mind the multiplicity of inequalities and power relations that cause it).

We started our activities in 2019 by collecting and publishing stories for the 16 days against gender-based violence. This remains our annual tradition: we engage local female illustrators and photographers to share posts on social media and spread the stories of Ukrainian women to create a space that condemns violence and supports one another.

In November 2024, we launched the “FemObjective” (in Eng. Femlens) film club, where we gather twice a month to hold feminist film screenings, lectures, and discussions. Among the films we have shown at our film club: “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” “Persepolis,” “Blink Twice,” “Disclosure,” and many others. On March 8th of this year, we organized a screening of the film “When the Trees Fall” by Ukrainian director Marysia Nikitiuk, and the filmmaker herself held a lecture on female sexuality in cinema.

We also have a YouTube project “Dear Diary.” It consists of video essays about society, film, and pop culture through the lens of intersectional feminism. So far, 8 episodes have been released, and our channel has over 5,000 subscribers. Topics covered in the videos include compulsive heterosexuality, rape culture, toxic tolerance, and many others.

Most Bilkis participants are vegans. For us, it’s important to care for the environment, resist thoughtless consumerism, and provide people the opportunity to get rid of unnecessary things and receive necessary ones for free. In 2022, we launched our social project “Space of Things.”

In addition, we’ve published two zines. The electronic versions are available in the description of our Instagram profile. The first is titled “Activist” and tells the stories of grassroots women activists who are protecting us on the frontlines, providing humanitarian aid, or helping Ukraine survive in other ways. The second self-published zine, “Others – Just Like Us,” is a collection of stories about the lives of homeless women. These are reflections on the female experience of homelessness and ways to build solidarity.

Of course, we also organize street actions. On March 8th this year, we co-organized the action “Demand Justice, Not Women” in Lviv and put up posters against violence towards women in Kyiv. A few days later (on March 30th), we have an action planned in Lviv for Transgender Day of Visibility.

Our Instagram profile is essentially a separate project. There, we regularly share informative posts on women’s and LGBTQI+ rights issues in Ukraine. These include long-reads on misogyny in various spheres (medicine, history, etc.), recommendations for feminist and queer books and films, event announcements, and more. Our Instagram page is viewed over 230,000 times per month. We currently have over 6.5k followers, and these are our organic numbers.

At the moment, we are seeking financial resources, as funding for gender equality programs has been drastically reduced due to the right-wing shift. We need funds to support our current projects, as well as to create new ones. For example, we want to start translating leftist feminist literature into Ukrainian, as there are currently very few such translations. We would also like to create a project featuring interviews with women from various professions.

We would greatly appreciate any financial or informational support for our organization!

We attend international events to remind the world that the Russo-Ukrainian war is ongoing. And that Russia is the aggressor in it, just as it was with Chechnya, Moldova, and Georgia. It first forcibly Russifies, destroying local culture and intellect, and then pretends it has been this way forever. Culture in the hands of an empire is a weapon of appropriation, devaluation, and destruction. To counter this not only within Ukraine, we plan to focus more on international advocacy in the future. We find it very valuable to seek points of connection in our experiences and cultures with countries that support us, to create joint informative projects and mutually amplify our voices.