Will workers’ protests of 1991 repeat in Belarus?

January 2009 will be free of work for most enterprises of automobile, agricultural machinery, and radio-electronic industries.

Radio-Electronic Industry Trade Union (REITU) has monitored the enterprises and estimates the state of the industry as very hard.

Co-chairman of the REITU Alyaksandr Bukhvostau said in an interview to “Tovarishch” newspaper he didn’t exclude social tension would be able to spill out into streets. Workers’ protest of 1991 may repeat in Belarus.

– Crisis has affected 100 per cent of the Belarusian industry. All loans, the Belarusian authorities are trying to get from Russia, the IMF and the US, are needed for payments to ease social tension. But if the Minsk Tractor Plant, which warehouses are full with tractors, has grounds to hope for selling of its products in future, other enterprises do not have such grounds. Belarusian enterprises prepare to l get into debts.

Social tension will lead to protests that may be expected in March 2009. Workers’ protests, which strength and heat will be similar to one in 1991, may take place by the beginning of April 2009. The government will try not to allow this and is taking certain measures now.

In January 2009, enterprises of automobile and agricultural engineering and radio-electronic industry won’t work. Let’s suppose, many productions of Integral plant are idle now. If Integral doesn’t get serious financing, the enterprise will ruin. A new level of technology is needed, because even microelectronics is not up-to-date. Of course, the Belarusians can buy TV-sets produced by Belarusian plants Gorizont and Vityaz, if they are sold at 50 per cent of their cost. But a businessman won’t buy a Vityaz, but a Japanese TV-set, while under condition of the crisis, a worker won’t have enough money to buy even a Belarusian TV-set at reduced price. Thus, we have an avalanche crisis.

Motovelo plant has arrears of wages of 450 million rubles as for December 4.

Baranavichy Plant of automobile units is in a very difficult situation now. It worked 11 days in December, all payments have been suspended.

60 working pensioners were retired at the Barysau of Aggregates. However, they received 5 average salaries.

All plants of aggregates fully depend on giant plants.

The Minsk Automobile Plant is in a rather difficult situation, too, facing especial troubles with selling it products.

The future of the plant of gears is unclear – there’s a question of its joining the Minsk Tractor Plant.

Enterprises of Hrodna have faced problems, too: year’s working contracts expire and people are dismissed. At the Belarusian Metallurgic Plant, people are transferred to other jobs, for example from a post of an engineer to a post of a loader. A question of workers reduction is sharp at many enterprises. Even Gorizont plant reduces its staff.

All the above mentioned touches the enterprises that have worked, they were not flourishing plants, but were able to survive. Wages are reduced everywhere, the number of working days per week (per month) is reduced as well. There are grounds to say that industry won’t work in January, in better case, it won’t work till the middle of January, – Alyaksandr Bukhvostau noted.