Babrujsk activists who took part in hunger strike of protest, dismissed

Two members of the Free Trade Union of Belarus from Babrujsk tractor parts and aggregates plant, maintenance persons Alyaksandr Varankin and Alyaksandr Hramyka, have been fired.

The formal pretext is expiry of the labour contracts. The workers believe however that they had been sacked for their membership in the independent trade union, Radio Svaboda informs.

The chairman of the trade union organisation of the plant, Mikhail Kavalkou, states that the activists have been dismissed disregarding their competence and business needs. Senior managers of the shop floor opposed dismissal of the maintenance persons, Kavalkou said, however the executive group of the plant decided not to prolong the contracts with them.

The both activists participated in the hunger strike of protest against discrimination against trade union members at the enterprise. It took place in March and lasted for three days.

As said by Mikhail Kavalkou, this year taken alone, 6 members of the Free Trade Union of Belarus have been fired from the plant. The formal pretext for that was the same, expiry of labour contracts.