"There will be economic strikes." In Belarus, trade unions are "cleaned"

On April 19, the members of the Belarusian Congress of democratic trade unions were searches in offices and apartments, activists and leaders detained. At the moment, 19 detainees are known. After interrogations, some of them were released, part was left in jail.

Among the KGB pre -trial detention center, Alexander Yaroshuk, the chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), his deputy Sergei Antusevich, who was headed by the independent Grodno Azot union, Gennady Fedynich, the previous chairman of the independent trade union of electronic electronic industry workers (rap Evdokimiki) remains. Chairman of the free trade union of metallists. Alexander Bukhvostov, the head of the free trade union of metallists, as a result was in a hospital with a heart attack. The trade union of metallists unites employees of large machine -building enterprises - MTZ, MAZ and others.

The rap is recognized as the “extremist formation” on April 11, and on April 27 it was stated that the primary organization of the Belarusian independent trade union of Grodno Azot workers wanted to recognize as extremist. The prosecutor’s office conducted an audit and received information about the “active participation of managers and members of the primary organization in an attempt to organize a strike for political purposes at the factory.” The organization is planned to be liquidated.

Now in Belarus there are only two trade union centers. The first is the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FPB), which by default all employees of the public sector are recorded. These trade unions pursue a consistent policy in relation to the employer and do not protect employees. It is they who forcibly bring people to led rallies. As, for example, this happened on April 30: about a hundred people gathered at the Victory monument at the rally "Belarus Za Russia". And today the Pervomaisian demonstration is also organized by the FPB.

There is also the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP), which unites several less organizations: a free trade union of the Belarusian, a free trade union of metallists, the Belarusian union of electronic industry workers and the Belarusian independent trade union. They originated back in the 1980s of the last century, when the workers of Belarusian enterprises founded a strike movement. It is from it that modern independent trade unions originate.

Independent trade unions for a long time remained structures that touched less than others, trying to maintain at least the appearance of the state observing the rights of workers.

In addition, the authorities were afraid of the application of the 33rd paragraph of the Charter of the International Labor Organization to them. This is an exceptional measure of punishment, which actually means a complete economic blockade.

Nevertheless, in 2021 the complete destruction of independent trade unions began. They tried to clean up people at first quietly. One was threatened at work and forced to write a statement about leaving the trade union, and those who did not make their own beliefs began to be dismissed without extending the contract, as well as for fabricated absenteeism obtained as a result of the imprisonment of the "day". Then arrests began on fictional criminal cases of activists of primary and regional organizations. However, the leaders of independent trade unions at the highest posts were not arrested until 2022. At the end of February this year, the chairman of the primary independent union Naftan Olga Britikova was detained. Britikova worked at the enterprise for 16 years as the head of the department of sale of oil products. Now she has been setting off for the fifth consecutive 15-day period. At first, she was accused of photographed the ballot on the day of voting at the referendum on February 28. Then she was condemned for pages with the inscription "No War" on the windows and because she went out into the streets in a jacket with the same inscription. On April 16, she was released, but again put in a post with the text "no war" on Instagram. On April 27, she was tried for the fifth time.

Then the mass arrests of leaders and activists of independent trade unions followed. At the enterprises of the remaining members of independent trade unions, they call for conversations with KGB officers.

After the total cleansing of the media and human rights organizations, independent trade unions in Belarus remained the last bastions of democratic institutions, Yuri Rovova believes, who, working at the Grodno Azot enterprise, became the leader of the strike movement in 2020 and initiated the creation of a strike committee. Now he is a representative of the Association of "RUKH Labor" ( "Labor Movement". - approx. RS ).

They just took away everyone who holds significant positions in the trade unions

- What the authorities saw the danger is that the economic situation has now worsened. Special services often mislead Lukashenko to show their importance and significance, outline trade unions as some extremist formations. However, trade unions always acted within the framework of the law. Even in 2020, we officially could not support strikes for political reasons, because we argued that this is the law. And such a law is not only in Belarus, but also in many other countries. Our situation was completely different, it was out of the ordinary. The Belarusian opposition largely scolded independent trade unions for passivity, they said that you have “not enough eggs” to organize a normal strike with political requirements. We heard all this from newly -made opposition politicians all 2020. Our Western colleagues understand all this, because they themselves are constrained by similar laws on trade unions. But due to the fact that the economic situation worsens, at such large budget-forming and critical enterprises as Naftan (oilworking enterprise), Belaruskali (manufacturer of potassium mineral fertilizers), Grodno Azot (manufacturer of nitrogen compounds and fertilizers), capacities are half loaded. This is a very serious blow to the economy. They fear that when the financial situation of employees worsens, they can organize on the basis of this trade union. Here the roots grow from there. I can’t completely climb into the head of the KGB management workers, but for me it looks that way.

If earlier the tactics of the special services looked so that the activists who had authority in the eyes of other people cut their wings, fabricated some things, now they were just taken by everyone who occupies significant positions in trade unions. Planted the chairman and vice-chairman of the BKDP. We could put forward someone else, but people are intimidated, because they see that this place promises them. All this catavasia lasted about a dozen years, but now it has come to such a point that it simply cannot be not considered at the International Conference of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in the summer.

- So political strikes are illegal?

- That's right. But soon political strikes may not make sense, because there will be economic strikes, when people are not with the demand for honest elections, but with a demand to pay for their loans and feed their family. This is most afraid of Lukashenko. He understood this, what a wave of sanctions fell upon him, after he got involved in the war with Ukraine. The largest strikes were where there are independent trade unions, so they need to be eradicated. Already there, people have experience in self -organization. This is due to the pressure. Those who could not cooperate with Belarus ceased to cooperate. The EU and the United States imposed the sanctions that they could. And the third world countries for them will still not execute decisions on economic blockade and sanctions, even if they are accepted at the International Labor Conference.

- The sanctions were not introduced yesterday either ...

And who else to be afraid of them? Only organized workers should be afraid of them

- No, we can say that literally yesterday, because before there were no such problems. For those enterprises where we have good connections and we understand what is happening, it looks like they were introduced only yesterday. If earlier Western partners agreed to participate in cunning schemes that they allegedly sell not Belarus, but, for example, through Ukrainian companies, and a sales were arranged in the same way, now they themselves are refused. And that is why Naftan fell to minimum capacities and many other interesting processes occurs at large state -owned enterprises.

- Are the authorities afraid of workers?

- And who else to be afraid of them? Only organized workers should be afraid of them. Lukashenko understood this back in 2020, when he saw strikes or attempts at strikes at enterprises where, it would seem, he has the most nuclear electorate. Because he does not see another danger. All these fairy tales about extremism, about the fact that someone here will overthrow it with a power way-no. To prevent this from happening, it is just that you need to get rid of independent trade unions and leaders of opinions.

-And what, in your opinion, is waiting for these detained leaders who are now in a pre-trial detention center?

- It is not yet clear what exactly the authorities are going to factory. But I think that political bargaining is waiting for them under the pressure of the IOT, and with a favorable outcome, they will be one of the first to release. Even the people who were detained, but came out, are under a non -disclosure subscription. Unfortunately, this information is not available.

- I also heard the opinion that in 2017, when protests began against the law on parasites and independent trade unions spoke on the side of the workers, even then they were already taken to a pencil.

- I think that they did not make a pencil from this pencil, but the active position in 2017 was quite significant, it is true. But in principle, wiretapping always stood, wherever possible.

- Now one of the largest trade unions of Germany IGBCE requires immediately release the detained Belarusian colleagues. "It is outrageous that the Belarusian authorities are trying to defeat trade unions in the shadow of the Ukrainian war. Our colleagues from independent trade unions of Belarus in an impressive way tried to represent the interests of workers under totalitarian regime," said IgBce chairman Michael Vasiliadis. Such steps can affect the situation?

- Not only in Germany. The largest associations of American workers also sent letters. The whole trade union world knows perfectly Alexander Yaroshuk and Gennady Fedynich. They perfectly understand what pressure the Belarusian trade unions were subjected to all these years and how a fracture looked after 2020. They have known the detainees for a long time and have no doubt about their honesty and decency, ”says Yuri Rukova, co -founder of the Grodno Nitrogen Stachkom Grodno Azot.