Aliaksandr Makayeu: Strike is first step of civil disobedience campaign

Sole traders plan continue their struggle for cancelling the technical regulations of the Customs Union after June 27.

It will happen if the authorities refuse to fulfil their demands. Sole traders are ready to launch a campaign of collecting signatures for Belarus's withdrawal from the Customs Union and refuse to pay taxes. It's possible that most stalls in markets will be empty from July 1, when the technical regulations come into force, charter97.org learnt from Aliaksandr Makayeu, one of the leaders of the small businessmen movement.

“The certification procedure makes small business unprofitable. Sole traders understand it and join protests. The initiative to collect signatures for the withdrawal from the Customs Union has good prospects. We see it by the example of our earlier actions to collect signatures. In 2008, sole traders put their signatures for Belarus's joining the EU more actively than other people. We will collect signatures not only among sole traders, but also among customers, thousands of people visiting markets every day,” Aliaksandr Makayeu said.

The activist thinks it is real for the authorities to fulfil the demands of strike participants. But he is not sure if they make it. Aliaksandr Makayeu says if the government refuses implement their demands, sole traders will continue the campaign of civil disobedience after June 27

“This preventive strike can become the first step for bigger protests that we already have in our plans. I mean not only refusals to work and pay taxes but also street protests. Most sole traders can file tax returns with zero incomes in July. If 100,000 people make it, the state budget will not receive about $20 million per month,” he says.

The decision to hold a national strike was taken by the Forum of Sole Traders devoted to the entry into force of the technical regulations of the Customs Union “On safety of light industry”. The Forum took place in Minsk yesterday.