Workers’ strike in Belarusian town of Baran

On June 16, workers came to turning shop #3 of Lyos joint stock company in the town of Baran but refused to work.

The workers wanted to make the company’s administration fulfill its promises about increasing wage rates. Activists of the Free Trade Union of Metal Workers (FTDMW) and members of the Industry Trade Union (a part of Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus) took part in the strike.

The FTDMW activists have been negotiating with the administration since the beginning of the year on increasing wages, fair distribution of bonuses and settling indefinite term employment agreement with piece rate workers. The administration refused to make any concessions. Moreover, there was an attempt to sack a young worker who had joined the Free Trade Union. The decision of the employer stirred up anxiety. Workers of shop #3 prepared an appeal to the director containing a range of requests, the main of which being prolonging labour contract with their colleague. The workers were going to start a strike if the demands were not fulfilled. As a result, the workers managed to protect their colleague and gain wages increase. The administration promised to raise rates by 20-30% if the order is fulfilled.

“The director promised to raise the wage rates for big projects for the whole season, from May to August. But the order on increasing wages remained in force only in May and wasn’t prolonged. Workers refused to work in order to make the administration fulfill the promises,” Vasily Leuchankau, the head of Freed Trade Union primary organization at Lyos company, told “Belorusski Partizan”.

The administration hasn’t made any steps to satisfy the demands of the workers of the turning shop, but threatens that the work order will be sent to Orsha company if the employees don’t start working.