Sole traders’ protest: Regions on strike, while Minsk works

On Wednesday most private entrepreneurs who went on strike on July 1, didn’t show up at their working places again.

The pavilions and stalls at markets of Mahilyou, Hrodna, Vitebsk, Vorsha and other cities are closed.

As informed by Radio Svaboda, the number of vendors at markets in Mahilyou has grown a little as compared to Tuesday. Minsk sol.de traders are not on strike yet, all markets in the capital are functioning. Why there is no solidarity of small businessmen, and where should they move on?

An individual entrepreneur from Hrodna Yury Zhyvatouski does not work for the second day. He says that most of trade outlets in consumer goods markets are closed. What will happen next? It will be the same as the last year, Zhyvatouski supposed.

“Regions staged a protest, Minsk continued work, with the exception of two markets. But in a week everyone returned to work, as they had a quarrel with each other. The same is to happen now. There is no unity. And that’s not because people are bad. That’s because their leaders cannot find understanding. And it is bad attitude towards people. Many people do not understand what’s going on. People need leaders who will show the path. Though leaders could have their own tactics and strategy: as if they do not appeal for anything.”

The chairman of the republican public association of sole traders “Perspektiva” Anatoly Shumchanka assured journalists that it was a spontaneous strike, no one organized it. Some entepreneurs decided to stop work themselves he said.

Now sole traders themselves decide where to go next. One of the leaders of Vitsebsk sole traders Iryna Yaskevich told that on July 3 they are to decide what to do during an assembly.

A businessman from Hrodna Yury Zhyvatouski says:

“I offered during the Forum of sole traders: it is more advantageous and strategically right to say that we work, but we demand to create a working group together with the government and the presidential administration. We should work together to amend the legislation and correct so to say those mistakes which could result in a nation-wide strike in the future.”