Situation At Hrodna Azot Escalating

What is happening at one of the largest enterprises in the country?

The day before there was information that more than 70 employees of OJSC "Hrodna Azot" wrote letters of resignation, but did not handed them over to the management.

- Of course, there are resignation letters. As far as I understand, they have been written, but have not been submitted anywhere yet, - deputy chairman of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions Siarhei Antusevich confirmed the information to Solidarity.

He confirmed that the workers of the Ammonia-3 workshop who wrote these resignation letters are unique specialists who are difficult to replace.

- These are very highly qualified specialists, their work requires training for more than one year, and no one will replace them. The workshop will not be able to work without these people, - said Sergei Antusevich.

Among the reasons that could have forced people to take such a step, he named solidarity with the detainees.

Thuso, on the eve the employee of Hrodna Azot Ihar Rubtsevich was released after five days of arrest. And for the next few days, trials are scheduled for almost thirty employees who marched in a column on August 25 and were detained.

Also, employees of the enterprise were repeatedly detained on other days, and some were detained several times. The protocols for participation in an unauthorized mass event were drawn against them, and the people were released in view of the pending trial.

- In addition, a letter from the prosecutor's office came to the plant, in which the management is asked to assess the damage from the strikes, and to punish those responsible. This letter runs counter to the agreements with the administration, which promised back in August that no one would be punished. Moreover, CEO Ihar Bobyr has repeatedly stated that the production is working normally and the process has not been interrupted. I think this also provoked the response from the workers, - Siarhei Antusevich names another reason that caused discontent among the staff of Hrodna Azot.

- People see the whole situation. It is clear that the authorities have always deceived them, now they (the authorities - edit.) showed their true face once again - no agreements work, they only understand the language of force. This is a rather serious step, such solidarity actions that employees take, - comments Antusevich.

Hrodna Azot was one of the first enterprises in the city and the country to actively declare its position on mass detentions and subsequent violence both in Hrodna and in other cities.

For several days in August, hundreds of workers tried to find out the position of the leadership. On August 14, several thousand workers joined the rally near the plant administration, and the management of the enterprise, city authorities and representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs met with these workers.

Chairman of the Belarusian independent trade union “Hrodna Azot” Andrei Khanevich managed to talk with several workers who wrote the resignation letters.

- The resignation letters have not been submitted anywhere so far. But it's like a time bomb. If pressure continues on the people, on the head of the workshop Leanid Surus, who supports the team's position, they can give them a go.

With these letters, the people insure themselves against possible pressure on them, - Khanevich commented on the situation.

Meanwhile, recently there have been several shutdowns of various production areas associated with the shops “Urea-4” and “Ammonia-3” at the enterprise.