Strike at Amkodor-Belvar plant?

The workers are protesting against a payment delay and mass staff reduction.

The charter97.org web-site learned about that from one of the enterprise’s workers.

“We have a delay in salary payments. It is not long, but we still have not received money for last month. Products do not sell at all: in the recent several months only several truck entered the plant’s territory, but it is a drop in the sea in comparison with the yearly plan of over 200 thousand meat grinders of questionable quality. The money that the holding provides on an unclear basis go for paying enterprise’s debts, and there is no salary, not even an advance payment. The enterprise’s management invests money into cosmetic renovation of the buildings and the “modernization”, but at the same time fires workers”, - he highlighted.

The worker added that the management is going to fire 200 employees before the year’s end.

“They rather fire workshop workers, than the management. On Friday the workers of one of the workshops composed an address to the trade union, in which they informed that there would be a strike on Monday. They have not yet started working by midday today. The chairman of the enterprise’s trade union and the deputy director general came to a meeting with the workers and told them stories and fed promises saying that these were difficult times everywhere. Around 20 people applied today to quit the official trade union”, - the worker of the enterprise emphasized.

A charter97.org web-site’s reporter addressed the plant’s management for an official commentary.

“This is all untrue. The salary will be paid today. The deadline is the 25th”, - the head of the personnel department said.

We would note that representatives of authorities already stated that the “modernization” would lead to mass staff reductions at some enterprises. In particular, they are going to fire a third of Belshina’s workers. They spoke about that during the visit of the Prime-Minister Mikhail Miasnikovich to the enterprise.

Employees of other large enterprises repeatedly reported of mass staff reductions throughout the year. Workers of the Horizont plant told the charter97.org web-site that over a hundred people had been fired.

At the same time people quit many enterprises voluntarily because of low salaries. An MAP employee wrote that around 12-15 people were quitting the plat daily in late August. Those were mainly the graduates from vocational colleges, who worked at the enterprise during the time of their obligatory placement. People quit Minsk Tractor Works in masses too, having not received the promised salary. At the same time the enterprise’s management kept stating that there were no problems with selling the products.