FTUB fears to tell who their chairman is

According to unofficial reports, Leanid Kozik has quitted as the chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB).

However dozens of officials of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, to whom Radio Svaboda’s reporters talked, refused to confirm or refute this information.

According to the leader of the Congress of Democratic Trade Unions Alyaksandr Yarashuk, Leanid Kozik left the office of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus’ chairman. On Spetember 22 he allegedly parted with the team. The exact reason for giving up work is not known.

There is no portrait of Leanid Kozik at the official website of the Federation, and in general, it is not indicated who the chairman of the FTUB is. However, all leaders of regional associations and industry trade unions are presented there.

Kozik has been the head of the Federation of the Trade Unions of Belarus since 2002. He is 66, so he has reached the pension age.

The chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions Alyaksandr Yarashuk says: “According to my information, Kozik has written a notice of resignation. Most likely he had been made to do so, or offered, to put it mildly. Everything was indicating that. Obviously, his work as the chairman was a failure. I think the last straw which broke the back of the authorities was his having a stab at the Office of the Prosecutor General. He accused them of illegal actions. Two weeks ago the leadership of the FTUB demanded the Office of the Prosecutor General to reverse the decisions of the Office of the Prosecutor General in Babrujsk and renew the collective treaty at Babrujsk tractor details and aggregates plant. But we do not know the details yet.”

It is not possible to make the BTUB itself confirm or refute information about resignation of the trade union leader of the country. Journalists have made several dozen phone calls to the Federation on Tuesday afternoon and on Wednesday morning. The press-secretary of the FTUB is on a maternity leave. “Technical workers” who are “out of touch with events” answered the phones at the personnel department, legal consultation, in the offices of deputy chairmen. All phones of vice chairmen didn’t answer. And only in the evening a secretary of the deputy chairman, Alena Mankevich informed that “Alena Mankevich will return to work from a leave on Wednesday, and only she is eligible to give comments.” “On Wednesday morning Alena started to carry out consultations in a non-stop regime, as she was to be updated after the leave, she has very many ventures,” the press-secretary of Mankevich said.

Photo: bymedia.net