Redundancy Threat Causes Suicide :: Charter'97 :: News

On Saturday February 1 in Vitebsk they buried engineer of the TV-manufacturing company “Vityaz”, who committed suicide right at the company’s premises. The personnel is shocked by the incident. The former co-workers of the late claim that he did that from fear to lose job.

Radio Ratsya reports that the engineer’s dead body was found January 31 morning in the company’s archives office. Two hours later there arrived investigative group, which found no signs of violent death, claiming that the man had committed a suicide. According to the detective of the Pervomaisky district procuracy of Vitebsk Yuri Shipalov, they found no death note on him. However, his colleagues said that the man was pressed down ever after he had been notified in mid-December about redundancy. Two weeks had been left back then till the ruling would come into effect.

According to the employees, engineer L. has been working at the plant for over 20 years since the very moment of its foundation in late 1970ies. He was 45, had a wife, daughter (university student) and son of a school age. Following the redundancy warning he tried to actively look for a job but later in conversations with his co-workers he referred to the futility of efforts.

Contrary to the administration’s versions about the man’s mental disorder, his colleagues link the suicide only with the fear to stay jobless. They also recall suicide threats, voiced by other candidates for dismissal.