Workers of Belarusian plants: "We have been turned into rightless cattle!"

Today's "Narodnaya Volya" writes about the situation that has come about in one of the largest Minsk plants.

Having heard on Belarusian TV that a Decree of Alyaksandr Lukashenka has been published that workers who have worked 5 or 6 years conscientiously can be transferred to termless labour contracts, a worker of one of the large Belarsian plants, whose name is not given by the newspaper, came to his shop manager and asked to be transferred from a short-term one-year contract to a termless labour contract. An argument of Uladzimir K. was that for 6 years of working under short-term contracts he had not been admonished ever, he was only praised and recieevd bonuses from the management, and he was named the best in his profession several times. The question of the worker caused irritation and strong reaction. The shop manager in obscene language explained the worker that that decree does not concern workers, "Narodnaya Volya" informs.

"You understand, we have been turned into a working cattle, it's true, into cattle that has no rights!" the worker stated to the journalist.

"Rudeness, foul language, humiliation and insults to subordinate are the basis of the managerial work at our entreprises," he said. "And this style comes from the top. You all see presedential "TV-shows". And workers are not recognised as human beings, and all that has been done by the contract system introduced by Lukashenka".

The journalist asked the complaining persons, what do workers themselves do. Why do they tolerate this? They understand everything, don't they?

"All are displeased, but mostly apathy and indifference prevail; though there are thinking and understanding workers as well. And now our willing horses think how to survive and where to earn money. Wages are paid, and it satisfies them, even while it has been cut. And now it has been increased," Uladzimir said. "But it is not clear where they find money. For the new month 36 million rubles will be used for salaries at the sector, last months there were 24 millions, and the production output hasn't changed," the worker said.

We have conveyed the conversation with workers, as they cannot but be indignant at what is going on in the country. It's true, Decree number 164 is one more derisive decision for alleged improvement of workers' situation.

It reads:

"With the written agreement of a worker who does not violate labour discipline, and who had been working for this employer at least five years an employer has a right to conclude a termless contract with the worker after the existing contract expired".

The right is given to the employer, and the worker was deprived from any rights long ago. The worker does not have a right to demand termless labour contract from the amployer if he worked conscientiously and well.

The employer is given a right to keep a worker hooked, to humiliate him. And the right of the worker in this monstrous system has only one right -- to be a speechless slave!

The more such decrees improving the state of workers are issed, the more clear becomes the monstrousness of the Belarusian contract system. There are no two ways about it -- Decree # 29, by which Lukashenka in 1999 introduced short-term contracts in violation of the Labour Code, must be overturned. And if there were real trade union leaders heading the Trade Union Federation of Belarus, and not "milk-toasts", such a monstrous contract system would be overturned long ago.