Independent Trade Union Stood Upon Homel Worker’ Rights

The REP Trade Union has helped an electromechanician to prove that his injury was a factory accident.

On October 17, the Chyhunachny District Court of Homel settled the claim of REP Trade Union legal Inspector Leanid Sudalenka, having obliged the RUE Homel Branch of the Belarusian Railways to draw up a Form H-1 occupational accident report to help the injured worker to receive insurance payments.

Electromechanician Siarhei Lukouski got injured at work. The employer refused to recognize the arm fracture as a factory accident, as a result the victim lost all the entitlements.

As Sudalenka informed BelaPAN, Lukouski works as a train mechanic of the Belarusian Railways Homel Branch. On February 26, he fell at his workplace and broke the right wrist bone. The employer conducted an investigation and drew up a report on a non work-related accident.

“All employers are interested to hide accidents. The Homel Branch of the Railways refused to acknowledge the obvious – the worker broke his arm during his working hours and at the workplace. The victim turned to our independent trade union for assistance a month ago, and here is the result – the court obliged them to recognize the accident as a work-related one and to draw up a Form H-1 occupational accident report. It will help the worker to receive insurance payments, his sick certificate will be fully paid-up, and, in addition, the worker has the right to raise the issue of compensation for moral damage,” – the RAP trade union legal inspector said.

Earlier the RAP trade union won the victory in the case of a worker, injured at the chemical plant in Homel, which took more than four years. Now Sudalenka helps the parents of the 13-year-old schoolgirl, who died at agricultural work near Maladzechna, to determine actual employment relationship with the agricultural enterprise with drawing up a Form H-1 report.