Drivers Rebel In Hrodna: "Bosses Say We Are Alarming Everyone"

Colleagues of the driver who has jumped into Nioman continue to struggle.

After the 57-year-old driver of the Hrodna bus fleet jumped from the bridge to Nioman, various instances started to check the enterprise, and the drivers wrote collective complaints to the prosecutor's office and the presidential administration. Last Saturday, the staff of the bus fleet met with Mayor Miachyslau Hoi. It was their second meeting already. Prior to it, representatives of the district administrations of the city came to talk to the drivers. However, the drivers say that the negotiations haven’t been constructive so far, tut.by writes.

– No one pays any attention to our complaints, they only blame us for "alarming" everyone and say that we do not let other drivers work, but problems remain, – Aliaksandr, a former fleet employee, says.

The man was fired last week: the inspectors found a shortage in his cash bank. It’s written in his employment book: "Dismissed in connection with committing guilty acts, which afforded ground for the loss of trust in him." The driver agrees that there was a shortage – he says, it just turned out that way, but he is sure that the main reason for dismissal is his signature under the letter to the prosecutor's office and the president. The position of the fleet in this case is unequivocal: the shortage is a compelling justification for dismissal and everything was duly done.

"There was a shortage, obviously, but this often happens – everything usually balances at the end of the month, – Aliaksandr says. – In a normal situation, I would be just reprimanded, but they dismissed me immediately. I worked for 14 years at the fleet, and this is the first time they fired someone like that. Moreover, there’s a shortage of personnel. On the same day, several others who signed complaints were "called on the carpet". One of the drivers was removed from the route – she has also signed that letter.

We remind that the drivers of the Hrodna bus fleet wrote complaints to Prosecutor General of Belarus Aliaksandr Kaniuk and to Lukashenka’s administration. Nearly 30 people signed the letters.

The drivers wrote in the complaint that they had repeatedly applied to the fleet administration, but had not been heard. And they listed the facts of violations: for example, they say that when they go to work on their days off, the drivers get an ordinary payment, not an increased one, as they should get.

According to the drivers, such "days off" were not registered in any way – so now they ask to check the correctness of salary accounting.

There were other requests, for example, to check the service norms of tires at the bus fleet.

Aliaksandr is going to challenge the former employer’s decision. But, he says, he will not come back there as a driver.

There is a shortage of personnel at the fleet. During the checks it was found out that 72 drivers were needed. The vacancy is still available on the website of the Hrodna City Executive Committee.

The drivers, who have signed the letter, say they are called to talk with the administration singly.

– What will they say? Either threaten with dismissal, or promise improved working conditions. But over the past few years, we have already complained about the shortcomings and collected signatures three times. It hasn’t worked out. Our fleet really needs reorganization.

The working conditions of the Hrodna drivers were discussed at the meeting with the Mayor of the city. The chairman of the city executive committee said that the drivers’ salary would be increased in March, and that residents of small towns would be invited to work. Another meeting of the bus fleet will be held after a while: the authorities promise to come up with proposals on improving the working conditions.