BATE plant stops

One of Belarus's biggest plants stops for 18 days.

The Barysau Tractor Electrical Equipment (BATE) closes today until January 13. People have to take advanced or unpaid leaves, barysau.by reports.

The plant's workers explain the enforced leave with a decline in sales and economic problems at the plant.

“The reason is usual. We always have it at the end of the year,” BATE's worker says. “Many of the plant's Russian partners don't work from January 1 to January 10. They don't have possibilities to buy products.

There are other reasons. It's a difficult economic state, let's say so. Half of the leave will be considered as an advance leave and the rest days will be considered as an unpaid leave. But it's not the most awful thing. A plant in the Slutsk district, if I am not mistaken, gave sausages instead of money to employees.”

More than 4,000 people work at BATE plant.

Many big enterprises in Belarus have faced problems with sales at the end of the year. Most departments of the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) didn't work on November 15 and November 22. The plant also was closed on November 29 and 30. MAZ introduced four-day working weeks several times this year. Workers of the Minsk Tractor Plant (MTZ) reports about salary cuts of 2.5-4 million rubles (30%) in November.

Workers say the plant's warehouses are filled with unsold goods due to low demand on the Russian and international markets. Enterprises don't have financial possibilities to buy materials and components for new vehicles.

Photo from adzinstva.by