Workers of Kovry Brest factory have to take unpaid leaves

The factory stocks are full; holiday pay is paid with delay.

Management of Kovry Brest carpet factory proposed workers of certain shops to take unpaid leaves from July 8 to July 14 explaining that steam cut-offs are expected, Salidarnasts reports.

“Steam will be cut off for a debt. Workers can take unpaid leaves, but the management doesn't insist. We will come to work, but they don't pay us. Maybe we will clean the shop. I am a packer. Maybe I will be given another task and will be able to earn 50,000 rubles,” worker of the factory Katsiaryna Yarotskaya said.

“They don't pay holiday allowance on time. I was on leave from June 3 to June 24, but I haven't received my money yet. I was given a document to sign. I put my signature and went to the account department. They told me I should have read what I signed. Maybe they are going to pay less holiday money to me. I warned my younger co-workers they they should read documents before signing them. I am an old woman, I have a dacha, I can collect and sell bilberries. But they are young,” the worker complains.

Leanid Shoukavy, the director of Kovry Bresta factory, goes on holiday on Monday. There are rumours that deputy PM Uladizmir Siamashka was to visit the factory before the director's vacation, but the packer says the official probably visited the enterprise, but didn't appear in shops.

“We asked several times why we had low salaries. The answer was that they couldn't sell carpets. We produce carpets.

Are we supposed to sell them too to have our salaries?,” Katsiaryna Yarotskaya says emotionally. “If you could look at our stocks! They are filled with carpets. You can't walk normally in the shop – carpets are everywhere.”

Packers earn 1,800,000 – 1,900,000 rubles working in hard conditions.

“I am a packer. We work hard. Machines are very old. I didn't want to sign that I heard the safety instructions, but I had to. We are working with these heavy carpets and have only 1,800,000 rubles. It's impossible. It's men's work,” the worker complains.