Even “Yabatski” Are Starting to Hate Lukashenka

The massive layoffs have affected everyone.

There is a wave of mass layoffs all over Belarus. They are held in almost every enterprise. It doesn't look like optimization and reduction of staff in any way. Absolutely everyone is thrown out on the street: both those who participated in the rallies and absolutely apolitical people, and sometimes even "yabatski," who, by the way, start to get angry the most. After all, not so long ago, they breathed a sigh of relief that they were not touched. Bone was thrown in the form of paltry bonuses for overtime, and then the sudden adultery from the "mustachioed coquette" happens.

They are also angry that they have no one to complain to. To the Horde trade unions, which successfully financed the usurper's election program from the wallets of all workers in the country? Even the independent ones are engaged in imitation of violent activity. In 2018, I was asked, I think, in Germany, when I was representing an independent trade union at an event: "How does your union defend workers' rights? What kinds of strikes do you use?" I shrugged my shoulders because, at that time, I saw the strike and mass protests of workers either in historical literature or in the news. Naturally, they were surprised and told about their experience. When, even because of the dismissal of one person, entire enterprises were stopped.

Any management thinks about workers exclusively in economic interests. We are called the "working unit." And the unit, in their opinion, can be ignored. Therefore, our salaries are low, and the equipment is old, and the management is always looking at us with reproach.

For comparison, you can take almost any German plant. Talking to one of the workers at the VEKO window company, I learned that you don't even have to be a union member for your rights to be defended. The worker is valued by his superiors and experienced managers from the German school of management; having experience of mass strikes in absolutely any field, they will not go against the workers. They know that everyone will stand up for one, and the employer will lose many times more.

Since they think economically, we should speak their language. When the shop stops, the boss does not think that it is difficult for the workers to start it up in emergency mode. He only thinks about how much money he is losing for every minute of downtime. At this moment, the workers of the progressive European countries, taking advantage of the moment, in principle would not do anything until their demands were fulfilled. And the issue would be resolved instantly.

We have everything to make it happen. There are more than enough reasons, and new ones will appear every day. It is necessary to stop thinking only about today. After the elections, Lukashenka aggravated the country's economic situation several times. There is simply no hope that he will drastically change the vector and start pulling the Belarusian economy from the bottom. He never thought about Belarusians, he did nothing good for the country's enterprises. A mentally ill person is only interested in his complexes and crazy ambitions. And his main goal is to sit in his chair as long as possible.

For those who think that dismissals will not affect them, that this will not happen to them, I have bad news - this is already happening. But without showing a response, we allow the dictator to mock the people of Belarus even more. If we do not go on strike, we can lose not only our jobs but also our country.

Enough of us being "working units," we know that we are the working majority. One by one, they will simply "optimize" us. And it doesn't matter what your political views are - whether you're a "yabatska" or a supporter of change - the problem is the same for all of us. If all the workers unite, the management will have to quit.

The strike is a proven European method of problem-solving. This will help us resolve the crisis today and will be a great lesson for the future.

Artem Chernikov, specially for the Basta! telegram channel.