Most Belarusian plants stay idle since the beginning of the year due to crisis

A lot of the country’s big enterprises have not started functioning after the Christmas season.

Integral, BATE, Luch and Dobrush paper-mill do not work. There are different reasons for it: vacations in Russia, working on Saturdays instead of some weekdays and, naturally, the crisis.

The crisis and internal problems have suspended the work of Integral Minsk scientific association till January 12.

“We will be on vacations till January 12. We have no work. It is partially connected with the crisis and with internal problems. It usually happens before the New Year’s Day. We have 5, 7 or 8 days-off every Christmas season,” «Euroradio» learnt from the reception of the palnt.

Employees of Luch watch plant will be on vacations till the Orthodox Christmas. However, they will have to work a few Saturdays because of it.

“Workers engaged in making reports and stock-taking have got down to work today. The rest will come to work on January 8 because January 5 and 6 will be compensated for on Saturdays. It has been done for our people. You know, the majority of our staff are women and their children will be on vacations till January,” is said at the enterprise.

Minsk plants Atlant, Gorizont, and the Worsted industrial complex are not responding to phone calls.

The same thing is observed at big enterprises of Brest. According to Euroradio, many workers have had to go on vacations at their own expense and some plants have changed to the four-day week.

Voice mail is turned on at the leading Brest industrial enterprises – Gazaaparat, the electric-bulb and electromechanical plants and Tsvetotron. The majority of state-run enterprises have made their workers go on vacations till January 7 (January 12 at the electric-bulb plant) at their own expense. Selmash plant works four days a week and the household chemical goods plant is planning to change to the four-day week in February. Independent enterprises and food and construction industry plants work full-time.

A similar situation can be observed in Baranavichy. One of the main city enterprises, Cotton Producing Association that has about 3 thousand employees has announced vacations until January 12. The vacations are at the workers expense. They are forbidden to produce goods and accumulate them in stock. The biggest enterprise – Atlant, producer of refrigerator compressors that have been exported all over the world before– was suspended on December 24. The “vacations” will last till January 12.

Electronic Barysau website informs that the Barysau Tractor Electrical Equipment Plant (BATE) satays idle till January 12. Euroradio has learnt from employees that the vacations were at their own expense.

“People applied for vacations at their own expense. Some of them did it, others didn’t. However, there are no official vacations,” BATE’s employees say.

Vacations in Russia have also influenced the schedule of Dobrush paper-mill. The factory will go on vacations till January 12 because most of its clients are Russian organizations.

“We are on vacations till January 11. It is connected with the fact that the majority of our clients are Russians. And vacations are announced in Russia now,” the factory employees say.

These “vacations” will definitely influence the Belarusian industry.