Aleh Stakhaevich: By Dismissals At Granit They Try To Prevent Protests

The factory management knows in advance that the situation with wages is to get worse, and in this way they want to prevent uniting of workers.

A trade union leader Aleh Stakhaevich, fired from Granit after the workers’ protest in 2011 – 2012, says that by dismissals the management “is trying to prevent protests of workers,” Radio Svaboda informs.

“It is an echo of the dispersal of the independent trade union at Granit. The management team is trying to prevent uniting of people for defence of their interests. They do not extend the contract with Uladzimir only because he stays in contact with Leanid Dubanosau. Let’s recall the recent dismissals of Ivan Samujlik and Uladzimir Kryvau. What were the reasons for their sacking? There weren’t any. They were excellent workers, drivers of BelAZ trucks, respectable family men. The management of Granit knows in advance that the situation with wages is going to deteriorate, and in this way they want to prevent uniting of workers,” – said Aleh Stakhaevich.

Four years ago a mass protest of workers took place at the building stone producer Granit in Mikashevichy. It made headlines of independent mass media. In December 2011 several hundreds of workers wrote statements that they leave the official trade union. The workers said they would create the Belarusian independent trade union branch at the factory. The members of the independent trade union immediately felt pressure from the administration.

Several organisers of the protest were fired on different reasons. Most of them could not find job in their home town Mikashevichy, and some of them had to obtain employment even abroad.

We remind that on February 20 Aleh Stakhaevich was made aware of the order for dismissal and was given his work record card. After that the activist said he had been dismissed illegally, as he was given the order for dismissal on the day of dismissal, and he had not been allowed to enter the enterprise a few days before the order. After dismissal Aleh Stakhaevich was marched off his working place under police escort.