Imitation As System

There is only one way out for Belarusian workers.

Agrobioresurs and its working staff are sold in Zelva. To cover debts, the owner sold warehouses people worked at for many years. The new owner did not need workers.

Accounts of the enterprise are attached, and the new owner can't lay out people legally - to compensate arrears in wages. As a result, people have no jobs, money and even employment books to find a new job.

Why did it happen and how common is this situation in Belarus?

Representative of the Belarusian National Congress in Slonim Viktar Marchyk answered questions of Charter97.org.

- It happened in the neighboring district. I would not be surprised, if it happened in Slonim, Baranavichy, Kalinkavichy, Pastavy or other Belarusian city.

Lukashenka has made his best to make the traditional serfdom be back. What could we expect from the ruler who used to be the director of the collective farm and believed that he had power to punish drunken tractor drivers according to his own judgement? Today even minor chief believes he is a landlord with an absolute power over property and lives of his serfs.

The contract serfdom system is brough to perfection in Belarus. In fact, there are few workers in the country, this class is substituted with slaves. If proud people of the 90s had heard it now, no one would have believed it.

And I'm not surprised that the enterprise is sold together with workers without any scrutinizing the matter thoroughly. The worst is yet to come. Lukashenka has already mentioned his intention to rename the entire city as Gutserievsk for delectation of the new owner. It was practiced by landlords. Or the story when he signed Vitsebsk and Mahilyou together with serfs over to the neighboring landlord... Why then can't it be practiced by a director or a third-rate private owner?

Such "Zelva" stories appear from time to time across the country. In the opposite part of the country, Mozyr, workers of the distillery were dismissed for no good reason. They worked there for 30 years. Is it a norm for the state in the 21st century?! A European would have had his eyes wide open.

- Events of Zelva would be extremely shocking to a foreigner: every day people come to the closed gates, and spend there 8 hours. How would you comment on this?

- What should they do? By law, if you're absent for 3 hours, it means an unexcused absence. They are not dismissed officially; laws of our country are designed to resist workers.

Poor things from Zelva have to go to "work", but they are not paid. They only waste their time which could be used for job search.

A punitive discharge is a black mark which makes job placement challenging not only in Zelva. This mark means only way to "parasites". And it bears grave consequences. And people have to spend eight hours a day new gates.

And this is very indicative. You know, over 25 years in power Lukashenka has created the system where the imitation takes the ground. And the ruler himself can't change it. Today all his power is perceived as imitation, annoyed, ridiculous sometimes. It has turned into imitation: nepotism and corruption initiated by Lukashenka have crippled core elements - from economy and health care sector to the "vertical" - in the country.

As a feudal state of the Middle Ages, Belarus has fallen into pieces controlled by local clans. Lukashenka, like a bogeyman, travels the country and intimidates clans. Some are dismissed, but heads of this hydra grow immediately again, and we can see the same people at new places.

One clan suppresses another, and no one cares what may happen to ordinary people.

Zelva is an isolated occasion. It demonstrates how laws work and how people find themselves in absurd situations. As for people, this situation is really acute, God forbid you to meet this situation.

- How do you think this situation can end?

- It's hard to say. I feel sorry for these workers. According to the "law", they have to appear at the workplace daily, otherwise they lose their "jobs" because of an unjustified absence. After all, it works in new owner's favor - they get tired and then do not appear. He can fire them with cause and do not compensate for three months.

It's the competition - who can sit it out. The director of an enterprise takes the winning side in this resistance. He has time to wait for a while. Unlike workers, who are about to spend their last money for family support.

That's how one person has made common the "sit-it-out" principle for the whole country. Private owners and directors see the attitude in the upper echelons and project it onto workers.

- How can workers make the authorities respect them?

- There is only one option left for working people - to take a stand for themselves. It's time for this power to realize its weakness. The system is growing weak; less and less strength is left to control the situation.

And that's why two ways of resistance are available. First, as soon as an enterprise has problems, we should go on strike, as it was practiced in the 1990s. One can be at a workplace and do nothing. The main option is to immediately call for independent media and all possible supervising services. It's the only way to launch the domino effect and to reach the next level.

- What does it mean?

- It means overhaul changes in the labour legislation after changes in power. And it also includes mass rallies as it was done in Armenia. It will promotes changes in power. That's it.