Henadz Fiadynich: We Will Bend Horseshoes At Factories Soon

High-qualified workers leave Belarus massively.

The official statistics provides the data which makes one think hard, if not panic.

First, according to the latest information, for the eighth month in a row the Belarusian enterprises have dismissed more workers than hired. For example, only in June in Belarus there became 4000 more unemployed people. And this is only according to the official data!

Secondly, the number of Belarusians who legally found employment abroad sharply increased —from January to June, more than 11 thousand citizens of the country left for foreign countries, having made contracts or agreements with foreign employers. Thus, the outflow of labor, according to the official data, increased by almost 12% in just six months.

What does this mean for Belarus?

— I want to say that this figure is obviously underreported. For example, according to some information, over 300 thousand Belarusians are working only in Russia. Nobody knows how many our citizens go there in a year, — Chairman of the Independent REP Trade Union Henadz Fiadynich comments upon the situation for the gazetaby.com.

According to the trade union leader, the situation with the outflow of labor from Belarus to the EU countries has been deteriorating recently:

— This is a trend that will only grow. The youth leaves, because they see neither prospects nor motivation for working here. In the Hrodna and Brest regions, people massively make Pole’s cards and go to Poland to work. There, even seasonal workers earn $ 600 clean! Not to mention experts who are valued everywhere except Belarus.

According to the leader of the independent trade union, hidden unemployment in Belarus today is 10-12% at the very least.

— If this continues, then we will see how the level of work of our industrial enterprises will drop drastically. Qualified employees are leaving — I'm sorry, we will bend horseshoes at factories, because we need qualified people to make high-quality products, — Henadz Fiadynich underlines.

The head of the trade union stresses that foreigners will not save the country:

— Yes, Asians come to replace them, they are ready to work at construction sites for Bn 200-300. However, are these high-quality employees? Skilled workers need to be paid at least $700 in Belarus — that's what we should strive for.