Workers in Navapolatsk receive wages in kind

Workers at Belarusian plants began to receive wages in kind.

Workers of the large-panel house-building plant in Navapolatsk said to praca-by.info that their plant introduced a new payment system. They claim they received special cards with 3 million rubles that can be spent only at Bazis, a chain of state-owned shops.

“The plant management introduced a system of labour days, like in kolkhozes. It's like workers are offered to take some grain from the feeder they show us. It humiliates workers,” an employee of the plant says.

Iryna Holubeva, the head of the trade union committee at the large-panel house-building plant, which is a branch of Construction Group No.16 of Navapolatsk, says the information is false.

“It's not true. Workers only received cards issued by another bank. We cooperated with BPS Bank earlier, but it delayed a loan, so we took a loan from Belagroprombank. If you speak about cards, they were issued by another bank.”

Many Belarusian plant found themselves in a difficult financial situation: some begin to work shorter weeks, some lay off workers. Workers of some plants and kolkhozes report that they receive food as part of wages.

It was reported recently that kolkhozes will begin to pay up to 30% wages in kind. Workers of Polesyestroy company have the same problems: they were said they would receive meat as part of wages.