One More Railroad Man Joins National Strike

The strike has been supported by the head of Yanouski power supply region.

Uladzimir Uhlianitsa, an employee of the Belarusian Railroad, has joined the Nationwide Permanent Strike.

31-year-old Uladzimir Uhlianitsa from Ivanava (Brest region) has been working in the Brest Distance of Power Supply of the Belarusian Railroads for over 4 years. Recently he has been working as the head of Yanouski power supply region.

He has told Pershy Rehiyon that on October 25, he wrote a statement that he would join the ongoing strike.

"I know that the majority of the collective has voted for Tsikhanouskaya, but for various circumstances cannot join the strike. I decided to go on strike alone.

On Monday, I did not go to work. Around 9 a.m. I got a call from the Human Resources Department with a proposal to think about other ways out and discuss the issue in person. I understood that this meeting would not bring any positive result for me, so I switched the flight mode on my phone," - Uladzimir Uhlianitsa said.

At about 12 o'clock in the afternoon, the father came to Uladzimir, told him that his boss had called and asked him to come to the conversation.

"The head of Brest Distance and the personnel department, who had already arrived from Brest to Ivanava, were talking with him. They asked my father to talk me out of the written paper, so that I at least wrote a statement for vacations at my own expense.

After the conversation with my father, I went to the "office" to convey to management my point of view.

A representative of the human resources department spoke to me. She told me that if my paper is given publicity, she and her supervisor will be definitely fired. She also offered to write a statement for vacations at my own expense and think, and maybe something will get changed in the future.

I said that I would not work until the requirements of the strike participants are met. Then I was offered to write a letter of resignation. I was sorry that other people could be fired because of me, and then I was hoping that this would serve as an impetus for other workers of the Railway, so I agreed. I wrote the letter of resignation and left.

In the afternoon my boss called me again and offered to think, I answered that they had a choice between two papers: strike or dismissal. Now I am unemployed".

Uladzimir Uhlianitsa is married and has two children in the family. One daughter is five years old, the second - 1 year 7 months.

"It will be difficult to find a job in Ivanava, actually, but possible, if to set a goal. It will be more difficult to find a job with such an income as it was at the railway.

My colleagues reacted in different ways, most of them were a little shocked that I made such a decision. One comrade, when he found out, also wrote a letter of resignation after the end of the contract. People from work were calling, supporting, some of them tried to talk me out of it.

My relatives reacted to it perfectly well, my wife supports me. My father was surprised when my bosses started calling him. I have been making decisions since I was 12 years old; my father never accompanied me, and here they summoned him just like at school. My mother, like most mothers, got upset and said that I was making a hasty decision," - Uladzimir says.

Uladzimir Uhlianitsa says that for now he can feed his family, there are some resources, he has managed to save up.