REP Trade Union Demands to Recognize ‘Social Parasites’ Decree Anti-Constitutional

The trade union’s activists have started collection of signatures under the appeal to the Constitutional Court.

The Belarusian Trade Union of the Radio-Electronic Industry Workers (REP) urged to send an individual appeal to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Belarus (Articles 158-160 of the Law “On Constitutional Judicial Procedure”).

The signatures are collected at zvarot.by.

“Only the person who issued the decree has a right to official interpretation or cancellation thereof, and this is Lukashenka. However, after his Administration refused from the constructive dialogue about the decree and gave a formal reply to our over 23 thousand signatures for the abolishment of the decree #3, the only way out for us is to address to the Constitutional Court, so that it would recognize the decree #3 non-constitutional, which would lead to its abolishment.

The Decree #3 violates two articles of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus:

— Article 56 (citizens of the Republic of Belarus are obliged to participate in the financing of the state expenses by paying state taxes, fees and other dues).

Every one of us finances the state by paying numerous fees, dues and indirect taxes.

There is no right to coerce us to extra payments, randomly choosing the groups of individuals, who allegedly don’t participate in the state financing, grounded by the Constitution and the laws of our country.

— Article104 (the law has no retroactive effect, except in cases when it mitigates or revokes the responsibility of citizens).

The Decree #3 was adopted on April 02, 2015, and came into force since January 01, 2015 (!).

As additional payments clearly don’t improve the situation of the citizens, the Decree violates Article 104 of the Constitution by providing itself a retroactive effect (it came in force earlier than it was adopted).

In the individual appeal, we are asking the Constitutional Court to start a legal proceeding on recognition of the Decree #3 as contradictory to Articles 56 and 104 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, under this appeal.