The Government Must Work At A Manufacturing Machine

The employment issue is urgent in the regions.

It's not a secret that official data of Belarus do not reflect the real situation at all. For example, the number of vacancies registered amounts to 76 thousand, and, according to official media, "it hits all-time high over the past several years".

Charter97.org asked Zinaida Mikhnyuk, the representative of the Brest regional independent Trade Union of Radio and Electronic Industry (REP), to give assessment of the situation in the labor market:

- You've called just in the right time. I'm going to tell you the truth about work in Belarus, more precisely, the employment problem by the example of activist in our Trade Union. We often carry out meetings, visit other regional cities, and talk to people.

Last week me and our legal inspector visited Mikashevichy. And here is the first example. An employer using this slavish contract system did not extend the contract with our activists. Activist Leanid Dubanosau was among those people. That is, they gave up on a well-educated young specialist and left the father of two minors without work! In general, 18 people joined us in Mikashevichy. And the situation with the employment is as follows: a half people in Mikashevichy - it's the town with the population of 13 thousand- are unemployed.

It's the situation in one town. Next day we visited David-Haradok. We have a group of activist at the electromechanical plant. Young women with two, three or even four children came. And the most terrible thing is that they are all unemployed!

As it turned out, they had not an employment book at all. One of them have a part-time job at local farmers. The woman told that she might find a job with the salary of $100 but it's not possible to support four children with it. She gets some money from farmers every day. It'd like to point out the woman is really hard-working. I see she wants to work. I wondered if she realised it did not bring her employment book and would affect her pension. "I don't think about it. I just need to support my children," the woman responded.

You know, I have long wanted to give an interview on the employment issue. This topic is urgent in the regions. You know, people should not work for a bowl of soup! We have the constitutional right to a decent paid labor so that people did not feel like slaves. People are driven into poverty! I wish the government work at the machine and for a bowl of soup.

- You talk to different people in different cities. What is the situation in the regions?

- People are boiling. In Davyd-Haradok I offered people to declare a picket on October 7, World Day for Decent Work. People accepted it and said "other people will also join it". In general, I stress that the employment problem is really urgent in the regions.

If we take Brest as an example, people earn $100 at Svetotron plant. I have been living in Brest for long, and I have many acquitances at many enterprises, and I know what I'm talking about. Once Brestgasapparat used to be the most well-paid enterprises. Now they are also "drowning".

In this regard, one of the major objectives of our Trade Union is to fight the renewed decree on "parasites".

Commenting on official data, I can say that sometimes I wonder why people do not register at the labor exchange. " I have to change to buses to register there! Their benefit is not enough even for a transport pass," they say.

The unemployment benefit is a completely different story. It should at least a person to survive. Being the representative of the Trade Union, I can say that people are sliding into poverty. Everyone knows that the heating will be switched on in the fall, the water supply will increase in price, as well as "utility bills" unlike salaries.

- Specialists point out that less young enter the labor market. For several years we've been observing the shortening of people of active working age. What can this lead to?

- I communicate with the authorities and say that I respect the young who do not want to work for a bowl of soup. They are self-employed, well-educated, they do not have bad habits. The time has changed. We used to be glad to get a place in a dormitory, now the young want to have everything at once. Perhaps, it is right.

You know, it's Belarus and one day it may happen that pensions are abolished, because there is no money to take from. There are no people to earn it. I can say that people laugh at the authorities' intention to increase the retirement age. Living standards are lowing, as well as life expectancy; men die at work places. Heart failure is the "favorite" diagnosis, and people laugh that they will pass away until the retirement age. In addition, no one wants to work at loss-making enterprises.

For several years people have been leaving abroad to work. And if other countries fill in the "gap" with migrants on the labor market, someone will hardly go to Belarus

There are several activists in our Trade Union who are officially employed abroad. The salary is decent there. One activists working at a plant in Poland earns $700. What can be offered in Belarus? "Minimal wage" and not for all.

I'd like to mention that we were told in Mikashevichy that there were vacancies, but Lukashenka had ordered to "freeze" them. That is, a person arrives to an enterprise and he is openly said there are no vacancies, it's a "special" position. People tell that if there are vacancies at the labor exchange, it turns out that enterprises have to place them.

In general, well-educated specialists live abroad, and it's reasonable. Our employees can't compete with the salary offered abroad.

- You've mentioned the resistance to the decree on "parasites" as a priority. After all, Belarusians working abroad will be automatically enlisted as "parasites" and, accordingly, to the income database. What is your piece of advice?

- When Decree No. 3 came into force, people came to the REP Trade Union en mass. People looked for our adress. I asked them not to pay saying that "it will be easier for us to defend you in court rather than return money you will pay".

I like the thing legal inspector said to a man calling from Minsk:

- I failed to get into the issue and pay the tax.

- If you paid it then you're not a real "parasite". Real "parasite" is not able to pay the tax, the inspector said.

That's it. I have many acquitances who said they would not pay the tax despite of all. It's better be "tried and jailed". They have no money!

You know, as soon as "parasites" start receiving notifications, people will start responding. I guess one day the Belarusian people will get angry and rage, as if by mutual consent. I keep saying that we just need to take the streets one day. The number of us will exceed the one of police and the army. They are also people, aren't they? They also have parents.