Victorious Joker In Belarusians’ Hands

The strike came naturally.

On October 26, 2020, Belarusian workers went on strike en masse. In almost every enterprise, thousands of employees gathered at the checkpoints to say a firm “No!” to the Lukashism in our country. Shops stopped, and dozens of videos appeared on the network, where employees of enterprises announced their departure to the strike.

Workers from many private companies joined the strike. Some of them declared October 26 a day off, others went on indefinite vacations, or closed for technical reasons, for example, for inventory. Among them are medical centers, shops, bars, cafes, language schools, gyms, travel agencies, beauty salons and service centers. The strike was also supported by employees of the mobile operator MTS, who took part in a protest action. Students from many universities supported the workers and, instead of lectures and seminars, gathered on the steps of universities, after which they participated in mass processions on the main streets of their cities.

Exactly a year later, the Belarusian Union of Workers declared a strike, in which workers in almost all areas simply stayed at home under any pretext: they quit, took vacations at their own expense, went on sick leave. According to BOR, hundreds of thousands of workers of various specialties supported the strike.

Traditionally, the end of October is remembered for another strike in Belarus. This year, private businesses have epicly marked the second anniversary of the strike by closing retail outlets and removing prices from their websites. Only this time the Lukashists were not allowed to think for a minute. There were no ultimatums, no demands, no pre-strike provisions. Private traders simply left, closing outlets.

The reason to leave the market was the order on the “containment” of prices, which was inked by Prime Minister Raman Halouchanka. And for many entrepreneurs, it has become more reasonable to close than to work at a loss.

One businessman I know confirmed to me that with such an order, he would not only work to zero, but even, perhaps, go into the red, as rent is growing, and the import of new goods is extremely limited. Also, he told me how his colleagues went on strike in 2002 and, by the way, also in October. Then, hundreds of thousands of people involved in private business in Belarus responded to the call of the United Council of Entrepreneurs and began an indefinite strike on October 1 with non-payment of the so-called single tax. More than 190,000 entrepreneurs and employees took part in the strike from almost all cities of the country. He recalled with pride that at that time the entrepreneurs of Hrodna and the Hrodna region, where all the large markets and small bazaars did not work, were especially active.

Like 20 years ago, now the strike is overdue by itself. Both then and now, the Lukashists fully felt their helplessness against private business, which decides for itself when and how much to work.

The strike of the Belarusian private business is a serious signal to the illegitimate authorities. The Belarusian protest is brewing with renewed vigor.

Long Live Belarus!

Artsiom Chernikau, exclusively for the Basta! Telegram channel