Revenge to Slonim Housing Repairs Association’s workers for joining independent trade union

Night watchwomen from hostels which are owned by the Housing Repairs and Utilities Association of Slonim, are concerned about their future, as in March labour contracts of most of them are expiring.

On the recommendation of the REP Trade Union, they have written applications with a request to extend labour contracts for a maximum term, and they are to send these applications to the administration in the next few days. In their applications women wrote that they count upon continuing their work, as they had not had any disciplinary penalties over the previous period, praca-by.info writes.

At the same time, the night watchwomen who had joined the REP trade union, are still experiencing the pressure from the administration of Slonim Housing Repairs and Utilities Association.

- Those who had not left the independent trade union despite blackmailing, were moved to new places of work, to other hostels. This is anyone’s guess why it had been done. It is possible that the administration would try to find violations in the work of the concierges who had fallen out of grace, which would allow not to extend contracts with them. People have been working in the same hostels for many years, everything was under control there, and they hardly know the people who live there, and local peculiarities. It is easier to find a mistake in the work of a person who is in an unknown situation. The watchwomen were told directly: if you were not members of the REP trade union, you would continue to work at your previous places. It could be viewed as revenge, – the employees said.

Watchwomen who are members of the REP trade union, have written a collective statement, asking the administration of the Housing Repairs and Utilities Association to give them the text of the collective contract for examination. However the administration denied refused, referring to the fact that it is not their responsibility. When the employees came to read the contract personally, they were not given an opportunity even to make a picture of it.

- The representative of the REP trade union were said to face that the copy of the collective contract would be given to them only through the prosecutor’s office. This situation looks very strange, as the collective contract is not a secret document! It is placed at a notice board near the gate at other enterprises. Apparently, as long as employees know its contents poorly, the administration could do anything they want to them, – the workers say.

Previously the REP trade union succeeded in overturning the order of the administration of Slonim Housing Repairs and Utilities Association, when 30 hostels’ watchwomen were fired. The women, who failed to receive protection from the official trade union, joined the independent trade union. However, after they experienced pressure, some of them had to return to the official one.