“Purge” at Babruisk plant: Best workers fired

Experienced maintenance operator Aliaksnadr Varankin was fired ,and an alcoholic and truant, who earlier had been fired four times, was employed instead of him.

Activists of the independent trade union continue to suffer from harassment at the Babruisk-based tractor parts and aggregates plant. Two workers were dismissed on October 1: their employment agreements expired and were not prolonged. On October 25, three workers – Aleh Shauchenka, Aliaksnadr Bianasik and Mikalai Zhybul – will be dismissed.

Managers have been warning, intimidating and trying to persuade the fired activists for a year, but maintenance operators Aliaksandr Varankin and Aliaksandr Hramyka withstood the pressure. A charter97.org journalist discussed the situation at the plant with Mikhail Kavalkou, the head of the Free Belarusian Trade Union, and talked to the dismissed workers.

Both Varankin and Hramyka say the same: they faced pressure every day, received financial sanctions and then their contracts were not prolonged.

– The supervisor told me every day that I should quit the trade union, otherwise the contract wouldn't be prolonged. They stopped paying bonuses. For example, I was on holiday in May, but they didn't pay me the rehabilitation bonus. They also paid nothing on the Day of Mechanical Engineering. In September, before the dismissal, I was deprived of the right to serve an extended number of machines (I received bonus payment for that). They said I would lose all extra payments if I didn't quit the trade union. They don't care about the quality of work. They want workers to be members of the “right” trade union and perform all orders. I cannot live like that. I struggle for my rights and encourage other workers to struggle. If workers don't defend their rights, the plant will collapse, because only alcoholics and idlers will remain there. I went to the personnel department yesterday to take my employment record book and learnt that a former worker, who had been fired four times for truancy and alcohol abuse, was employed. He is hired again because normal specialists don't want to work here – Aliaksandr Varankin says.

Mikhail Kavalkou says the plant and the system don't need independent trade unions: if directors cannot control trade unions, they will have to fulfill their duties properly.

– What is happening now at the plant? Why do they fire workers?

– The director of the plant, Aliaksandr Ahranovich, has a goal to destroy the free trade union at the Babruisk tractor parts and aggregates plant. He tries to achieve his goal. We could foresee the dismissals, because it was a trend for the last few years to dismiss all members of the free trade union after their contracts expired. Workers of the second shop, Varankin Hramyka and three more workers who will be dismissed soon, were warned last year. The supervisor told them their contracts wouldn't be prolonged if they didn't quit the free trade union by September 1, 2014.

Dismissed Varankin and Hramyka went on a hunger strike on March 25-27, 2014. They protested against lawlessness at the plant provoked by the director, who is a member of the regional council. He must observe laws, but he seems to interpret them as he wants. He thinks he can do whatever he wants. He doesn't fulfill decisions of civil and economic courts. He didn't react to the protest notice from the prosecutor's office of the Babruisk region against collective employment agreements for members of the free trade union. The plant doesn't pay bonuses it must pay, for example childbirth allowances, bonuses on jubilee dates, the Day of Mechanical Engineering and so on.

– Who implements the director's order to destroy the free trade union?

– The director's task is performed by ideologist Uladzimir Yeliseyenka. Of course he says: “It is not my will, the director just ordered to dismiss all members of the free trade union.”

– What can you say about the dismissed workers?

– Dismissed Varankin and Hramyka are among the best workers at the plant. They are the best maintenance operators of the harvest equipment unit 2. Workers tried to defend them and explained to the deputy director for production that such people cannot be fired. We should appreciate and value them. But the director doesn't think so.

– How can the dismissals influence the work of the plant?

– Of course it will harm the production process. Dismissals of such specialists worsen the quality of products. We don't have excellent quality, but it will get even worse. Managers say the plant would rather hire five unexperienced workers instead of one specialist from the free trade union.

– Does the plant have so many good specialists not to value them?

– That's the thing. We can seen job ads everywhere – on poles, on television, in the employment centre. The plant needs maintenance operators, machinists, milling machine operators, all kinds of workers.

– Why doesn't this system like free trade unions?

– I once talked to the director of a knitting factory. It was in the early 2000s. He ran in the parliamentary election. He proceeded to the second round with Shpileuski and later became a member of the Council of the Republic. He then headed Bellegprom concern. He was running in the election and asked to help him with the campaign. I said I could carry out a good campaign, but you should give a registered address to the workers of you factory, who want to form the primary unit of the independent trade union.

He said: “If so, I don't need your help. I don't need independent trade unions here. They will demand something from me.” But it only mean that he must begin to perform his duties properly. He said: “I have the trade union under control. They do what I say.” These trade unions were created by Leanid Kozik. They cannot set even legal demands to the director. They only perform orders, while we demand to give us what we should have under law.