Homel market sellers held spontaneous strike

On March 1 a work stoppage of hundreds of entrepreneurs from largest markets of Homel region took place.

They cannot offer certificates and consignment notes for every item of goods, as required by Decree #222, Radio Svaboda informs.

Entrepreneurs didn’t believe the oral statement of representatives of authorities that they would be left alone until the government devises the scheme according to which the shelf stock is going to be sold. That is why they haven’t start work today.

Local market traders gathered for a spontaneous meeting in the shopping centre Secret in Homel. It was opened by the chairperson of the council of market traders Natallya Dasko.

“Since today, March 1, the presidential Decree #222 has come into force. It bans work of sole traders with shelf stock, which had been bought previously without accompanying documents. Many have lots of goods without documents left, as under current conditions, when purchasing power of people is extremely low, it was impossible to sell them. The day before market sellers had been working until 7 p.m. And then, from 7 p.m. till midnight we had a right to remove the shelf stock to avoid confidcation, and all market traders did so,” she said.

Participants of the meeting said that their colleagues from the Customs union have an opportunity to work freely, they are not obliged to have accompanying documents for every item of goods. In particular, it was said by a sole trader Svyatlana Kalachova.

“I want to repeat that for the 195th time, the Decree #222 is half-baked, it’s hopeless. Small businessmen of the states of the Customs union – Russia, Kazakhstan – can work without such documents. And we are placed in extremely harsh conditions. We need to have all accompanying documents, all certificates. The government offers us to get into some registers, they look at some websites for everything to be checked. It’s madness, you see. Who are we in Russia, in Moscow, at small and big markets? How can we bear responsibility for their firms, who may give us documents or deny doing so? Moscow firms do not want to cooperate with us at all. When they hear that we are from Belarus, and we want goods with documents, they say: “Sorry, we are not interested in cooperation with you,” she said.

Sole traders stop work until the requirements for supporting documents lifted. Otherwise they are going to close business at all, and to be registered at an employment centre as unemployed.

We remind that recently the Entrepreneurs’ Forum was held in Belarus. The authorities shot down the hope of small businessmen that the conflict would be resolved and their opinion would be taken into account: on March 1 the notorious Decree #222 comes into force, and it’s illegal to sell without accompanying documents. In case of violations sole traders are to be fined Br9 mln, and their goods confiscated.

Over the last few months mass unscheduled inspections and confiscations were held.