Granit plant workers face retaliation for protests

Salaries were reduced and employment agreements are signed only for a year.

Aleh Stakayevich, the leader of the branch of the independent trade union at Granit plant, met with drivers of BelAZ trucks working on the plant. They said about new problems, Radio Racyja reports. The plant won't pay for the idle time due to the employer's fault and for the lunch breaks. Employment agreements are signed for a period of one year instead of five years. Salaries may be reduced.

The workers demanded a meeting with a representative of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus on Granit plant. Mechanic Aliaksandr Krukouski offered to make an official appeal. He thinks it will make the official trade union listen to workers. The supervisor doesn't want to discuss problems with the drivers.

“The wages are still good. But they will fall in future. I hope informal leaders will appear. Managers will reduce wages, because they have people to replace the current employees. A BelAZ driver earns 10-12 million today, but he will get 4 million tomorrow. If he refuses to work, he will be replaced by another driver,” Aleh Stakhayevich said.

Granit managers remind workers that their problems are caused by their quit from the official trade union and joining the independent one. Wages of truck drivers haven't changed yet, but salaries of excavator drivers reduced by 1.5 to 2 times.