KGB shows interest in protests on Pinskdrev

The director general of Pinskdrev holding met with the workers, who applied for leaving the official trade union in protest against low wages.

He didn't promise to raise wages, but laid the blame on workers. Meantime, the situation on the factory began to interest the KGB.

As Radio Svaboda learned from Dzmitry Kudranok, a worker of Pinsldrev's veneer and furniture plant, holding director general Alyaksandr Sudnik said at a meeting with the personnel that workers earn little money because they work badly. He made no proposals on how to solve the conflict. It seems the director arrived to size up the situation:

“He did not scare us. He was calm. But he looked like a man who knows he is right and doesn't understand the situation. He promised nothing would change. He said if workers wanted changes for better, they should work more.”

Dzmitry says the director general noted the veneer and furniture plant showed bad performance:

“He said we have lower sales volume and other wage-influencing factors than other business units. But any first year student of a faculty of economics can say it is a problem of management, not of the people who produce goods.”

Another worker, who asked not to reveal his name, says the secret services became interested in the situation on the plant:

“It turns out that the director general came and laid the blame on us. It is we who work badly, he says. The information about leaving the trade unit bears fruits: some unknown people began to appear on the plant. Workers say they are secret services officers... They are asking about instigators.”

Workers say they expect possible provocations. They think the most active protesters might be fired.

Pinskdrev workers began to leave the trade union after receiving pay sheets on July 17. The average wage was about 2 million rubles. Dzmitry Kudranok said the workers chose to leave the official trade union following the example of workers of Granit plant in Mikashevichy.

About 200 Pinskdrev workers applied for leaving the official trade union.