Henadz Fiadynich: Time to wait for protests and food riots

The Belarusian economy is on the verge of collapse.

On April 18 a report-and-election meeting of the Belarusian Trade Union of Radio Electronic Industry (REP), with 75 delegates, will take place in Minsk.

The leaving managing staff will report on their work within last five years and delegates will elect new leaders.

Henadz Fiadynich, the Chairman of the REP, told in his interview to Belaruskaya prauda about new social movement, locomotive which backpedals, and food riots.

- It is an economic crisis. New reality calls for a new approach. Will the REP review its strategy and tactics?

- Of course, it will. The formulation of requirements to Lukashenka and the Government will be the first step. We will try to bring them to everyone in Belarus in order to get people's approval. And then we will start our work.

It is all about economic requirements. Discontent among the population with the government is really high, but, unfortunately, the opposition does not take this advantage.

There is an issue on the agenda: what should be done next? There is a need to organize a nationwide movement from the bottom. This is not Fedynich's fiction – at all meetings in regions people say it is time to unite. Not to create movement for the sake of movement. But for the sake of what?

Very soon Belarusian families will face shortage of money. Scandals in a family will trigger a boomerang effect for the government. We are against protests, everything should be held in a civilized and organized way. Unfortunately, these 20 years the current regime, as well as Lukashenka, has been trying to retain the power, but not to develop the country.

Revocation of Decrees No. 5 and 29 are of high priority for the REP. All relations with workers should be based only on the Labour Code, not Decrees and Orders. We may offer to unify the Belarusian labour legislation with the Russian one: there is no mass contract system in Russia. Only a certain number of people may win a contract.

We will certainly consider the Decree on spongers. Officials have already counted nearly billions of unearned money they are ready to take away from people. The Decree will have no use unless there are changes in employment, clear state reeducation program and creation of jobs. It’s unprecedented. No country in the Soviet Union and in the world had a fee on residency.

- "Spongers" have already launched the self-organization process. Don't you plan to bring this process onto the organized track?

- Social networks suffer from one decease: a lot of people sign a petition, but half of signers disappears as it gets toward the sticking point. We are against any ill-considered initiatives with no clear objective. What is the goal of the campaign? The Decree revocation? Perhaps, it should not be repealed? Vagrants should be vagrants; spongers who don't want to work should be spongers. But how can those Belarusians working in Russia be spongers?

The State, perhaps, may provide migrant workers with jobs for Br2-3 million. But the government cannot pay people enough money for them to be able to support their families and cover bills.

- You have mentioned a movement. Is this about a nationwide movement?

- It is all about the movement of all working people. We need to collect proposals, formulate principles and goals. It is a serious and hard work. Until now, any movement has put forward the policy objectives, our objectives touch the economic sphere: even if we decide to deal with policy, it will happen only through the economy.

There is no need to throw all the stones into the government. It will be unfair with respect both to people who support the regime and the government itself. But people have already tired of the same persons in power, they want changes. It is clear that it is not easy to change something. Is it easy now? But reforms will give a perspective: there will be new technologies, new jobs, foreign investors who will not be afraid of hourly changes in game rules.

Russia cannot be blamed in all our economic problems. Russia has been waging a war for a year. And where you were, Misters officials, 5, 10, 20 years ago? Why didn't you develop relations with Poland, Lithuania, and other neighbours? Motorola wanted to buy Integral and asked 51% of the shares and the President denied-why? Who does need today such huge enterprises as MAZ, MTZ? It is a disaster of Belarusian economy - they cannot be repurposed.

There is no other way for Belarusian society, but to make it through. And it is impossible to choose between Asia and Europe.

- Is this movement an initiative or at the stage of implementation?

–Since the beginning of the year we have been driving across regions and consulting with people. We will not make a decision unless there is a leader in every region and people who will support them. You cannot just hold a press conference and announce the creation of a new movement.

- What is the situation in the industry, what's going on in the regions?

- In all countries the industry is the locomotive of the economy. So it was in Belarus. Now this locomotive has not only stuck, but gives back up. Stockpiles of harvesters are six times higher than the monthly average, metal working machines - nine times! They poured into them so much money and metal. Where should they now put it? I believe this is a fault of business leaders, the Ministry of Industry and the Government. They have not thought through their strategy, and hoped on Russian market.

People are so concerned, they are spending their currency accumulated in 2013-2014. It is proved by returned $235 million. Another question is how much "fat" has left? Workers are transferred to 3-4 day work week, made to take unpaid leaves. They are not sure about tomorrow. Leaders also keep silence, not because they do not want to sound, but they also see no way out. And resumption of production of trucks, tractors is a drop in an ocean. Export to Russia dropped by 40% – and nothing left to say. The Belarusian economy is on the verge of collapse.

- What should we expect when the "fat" is over?

- Then we should expect protests. When families have nothing to eat, then food riots will occur.