Homel sole traders: They want to turn us into slaves (Video)

Sole traders are outraged over arbitrary behaviour of owners of Secret shopping centre in Homel.

More than 200 sole proprietors signed the appeal to Homel city authorities asking to protect them from too high rental prices and a new unfair contract imposed by the shopping centre owners, Belsat TV reports.

In early October, the previous director of Novy Starndart JSC asked the tenants to terminate old rental agreements and promised to make new agreements on the same conditions.

Tenants, however, received new agreements after the owner changed. The new conditions increase the rental price two or threefold and oblige tenants to pay 3 or 5 months in advance. The rental price of some premises rose to 100—120 euro per square metre.

“They want to turn us in slaves. The agreement has a provision, under which we don't have the right to unilaterally withdraw from the agreement for five years. It violates the Belarusian legislation,” deceived businessmen say. If they withdraw from the agreement, they will have to pay penalties for five years until the agreement expiration.

“There is no toilet in the shopping centre. We have to use a pay public toilet. Sometimes foreign customers with children ask where the lavatory is, but we just shrug our shoulders, because we don't have one,” a sole trader complains.

Tenants say they cannot afford new rental fees. Businessmen say the owners of Secret shopping centre understand there is no alternative for trade premises in the city. People have found themselves in a desperate situation: either to accept the the proposed conditions or to be thrown away.