Sloping salary decline at MAP

Salaries of some workers have dropped by two times.

Workers of Minsk Automobile Plant tell about the new crisis of the Belarusian autogiant and its reasons, Euroradio reports.

“An order to transfer to a four-day working week was announced last week, - a worker of the instrumental and stamping workshop recollects. – But there are talks that the four-day working week will be cancelled. Although there has not yet been a new order on that. We will find everything out on Thursday”.

Many workers are unanimously worried about the salaries at the enterprise. They say that they receive less and it is unclear what will happen further.

“I have not yet taken the payment for February, but I heard that it will be less than for January, - a caster worker is worried. – Although we only started working on 10th. That is why someone quits, someone transfers to other workshops. Or even to other enterprises, where the salary is higher. For example MWTP (Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant)”.

A press operator Siarhei, who is serving a term of correction works at the plant, says that since autumn the salaries have reduced almost by two times.

“In November my salary accounted for 4 million. And they promised to raise bonuses by 10%. But then it started decreasing by half a million each month. Now the salary is 2.5 million, - Siarhei counts. – Common press operators earn more, but not much. Many complain. But I am serving the corrections work term, they do not accept complains from me”.

Many MAP’s workers see the main source of the problems in the production distribution to foreign partners.

“Our salary is around 6-6.5 million. It will be a million less. There is an explanation to why we have been transferred to a four-day working week: “because of a seasonal problem of the equipment distribution”, - workers from the instrumental workshop tell. – There are many machines at the territory of the plant. Russia has joined the WTO and must now buy vehicles with a Euro-4 engine”.

The paradox is that the engines Euro-3, which were formerly installed in most of the MAP vehicles, were purchased in Russia.

The workers of the plant hope that the sales will improve in some way and count very much on Venezuela, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

During the economic crisis of 2011 MAP was transferred to a three-day working week. But then the situation improved.

“There have always been quitting at such a large enterprise. People quit. Some do not like it here, some get fed up, - a frame workshop worker is being optimistic while clearing his Opel from ice near MAP’s main entrance. – I do not think that we have faced a major trouble now. But it is true that there is a huge output in the storehouses”.