Electricity Cut Off For Rebellious Union

The incident occurred on the day of the 19th anniversary of the Free Trade Union in Polatsk.

The administration of JSC Polotsk-Steklovolokno sealed electrical outlets and a light switch in the office of the Free Trade Union of Belarus (FTUB) in Polatsk. The event occurred on April 9, just on the day when the primary organization of plant workers celebrated 19 years from the day of creation, Vitsebsk Spring reports.

Trade union activists took such an original "gift" from the employer as another act of interference in the activities of the workers' organization.

FTUB Chairman Mikalai Sharakh said that cutting off the electricity would not complicate the work of the trade union organization: "We use the office a couple of times a month, mainly for meetings of the leading body – the FTUB Council. And now we can save money received from trade union fees. This is another hopeless employer's attempt to destroy the Free Trade Union of plant workers."

As trade union activists explained, in accordance with the Belarusian legislation, trade unions have adequate protection against any interference by employers or their agents in the organizations' activities and their management. Therefore, in order to get adequate protection, the trade union will file a complaint with the prosecutor's office.

The leading power engineer of the JSC Polotsk-Steklovolokno Murtazin А.М. sealed outlets and switches in the office of the union in the presence of the senior master of the site Slezin M.V. and a representative of the FTUB Stukau V.Y.

The trade union handed over to the power engineer a written memo with the law principles, which he violated as the representative of the employer. In response, Murtazin said that he did not violate anything, but acted in accordance with his duties, limiting access to electricity for non-payment in the amount of 116 rubles 53 kopecks.

There is a collective agreement in the JSC Polotsk-Steklovolokno, which says that the employer undertakes to provide the trade union with a room and pay for the utilities. However, the employer believes that this applies only to the Belkhimprofsoyuz, which member is the director himself.

The Free Trade Union is in the process of a collective labor dispute on this issue with the employer. FTUB members demand the same conditions for various trade unions, as it was in the period from 2009 to 2012, when JSC Polotsk-Steklovolokno gave the Free Trade Union necessary premises and equipment for free use.