300 workers in Hrodna thrown out on street

The local authorities turned Hrodna into the scorched industry area.

A number of enterprises have been closed in the region over the past years.

The reason is always the same – they are not profitable. On December 23, Bellegprom Group said to workers of the Hrodna Industrial Tanning Association that the plant would be closed in the near future. About 300 people will lose their jobs, a reader of charter97.org reports.

The government, the Hrodna regional executive committee and Bellegprom Group were helping the enterprise to move its production facilities to Hrodna's industrial zone in 2009-2011. A parcel of land was allocated, basic data were collected, an architectural project of the new tanning plant was made and approved.

Calculations showed the project was economically sound and necessary for the development of the leather industry in Belarus. But the tanning plant turned into an unnecessary project after Siamion Shapira had been appointed head of the Hrodna region executive committee.

On December 23, deputy head of Bellegrpom Group Viachaslau Mirusin said at a general meeting at the plant that the contract with the enterprise's general director, who initiated the opening of the new tanning plant, wasn't prolonged. Building a new tanning plant in Hrodna was found ineffective. The old plant will be closed in the near future.

It appears that the building of “palaces of the republic” and ice arenas for the hockey championship is effective, but the building of a new tanning plant preserving jobs for about 300 workers of the Hrodna Tanning Association has no economic sense.