Henadz Fiadynich: I Don’t Remember Such Heartless Attitude To Workers Even In 90s

Wages in Belarus are not sufficient to support a family.

Another suicide at workplace has been recorded in Belarus: a 22-year-old worker of Rechytsadrev JSC hanged himself.

Chairman of the REP Trade Union Henadz Fiadynich gave his assessment of what was happening at the Belarusian enterprises, in an express-comment for Solidarity.

– I think it’s the bosses who don’t work properly, mainly foremen and ideologists. They don’t work with the people at all. They don’t see a person in a worker, just a subordinate, - Henadz Fiadynich noted.

– Earlier, a foreman knew not only the name and surname of every worker, but was aware of the situation at his home, the material state etc. A worker lived inside a collective, and the collective was aware of their personal situation. Now, no one even sets such a task. I think that workers’ suicides could have been prevented if they talked with the people normally. If they tried to find out what they have in their souls, if the people saw not only bosses but colleagues in their superiors. The ideologists, instead of doing this job, look for the workers who don’t have the same opinion as the bosses and the state leader.

Anyway, the previous suicides of workers at enterprises were also linked to the material factor in the society.

– However, I don’t remember anything like this having happened in the 90s, – Henadz Fiadynich noted.

– This is easy to explain. In the 90s, the people were more organized and solidar, and the Federation of Trade Unions wasn’t as controlled by the authorities as today. When a problem occurred, it was either solved or the people self-organized and went on strike at an enterprise. And now they cannot address to the official trade union as they don’t see any help from it, and they cannot get organized to express their discontent either. As a result, people find themselves abandoned and presented to themselves. No one cares what they have at home. And there can be anything. The debts on loans could be a burden, and there can be not enough money for the maintenance of the family if the salary is Bn 300.

Important to note, several suicides of workers at the enterprises caused a great resonance recently. Last autumn, a technician hanged himself at the Babruisk plant of tractor parts and units. In March, deputy director at Integral OJSC hanged himself. In June, a woman in Homel attempted self-immolation at the entrance to the Comintern factory, and died a week later.