Gennady Fedynich On The Emergency At "Belaruskali": An Investigation Must Be Conducted
- 19.08.2026, 16:12
Photo: praca-by.info
A union leader described the current state of occupational safety at enterprises in Belarus.
On August 17, another worker died at "Belaruskali" . This is already the fourth death at the company in the past two months. Such reports have practically become commonplace.
Why have fatal accidents begun to occur so frequently at a company as large and wealthy as “Belaruskali”? The website Charter97.org posed this question to former political prisoner and union leader Gennady Fedynych:
— First of all, “Belaruskali” is a company with hazardous work areas. Both in terms of safety and working conditions, the standards there must be completely different from those at ordinary companies. I don’t know how this latest fatal accident happened or who is to blame, but I want to say that for the people who work at “Belaruskali,” there need to be stricter requirements for occupational safety and health. This depends on the company’s management and the shop foremen who oversee this process.
At one time, the Labor Code of Belarus contained a provision stating that trade unions had the right to remove a manager from office following two or more fatalities. Once, a labor union removed eight managers in just one year. And for some reason, the fatalities stopped. That’s why I believe this issue isn’t receiving enough attention today.
To be frank, the same can be said about workers. Before starting work, they must ensure their workplace is safe. If they have any questions, they should ask them and not begin work until those issues are resolved. Unfortunately, very few people do this. As a result, the situation has developed in such a way that it’s taken for granted that a person died while working at a company.
— How well are workers and their families protected? Can they count on real compensation in the event of injury or death?
— This is provided for in the Labor Code. And most importantly, this must be stipulated in collective bargaining agreements and wage agreements regarding the payment of compensation to the families of those who have died or to those who have been injured. But I want to say right away that this will never compensate families for the loss of a breadwinner. This is the worst thing that can happen; you simply cannot treat this situation lightly.
An investigation must be conducted, but in our situation, it’s hard to say how objective it will be. The most important thing is that people simply shouldn’t have to suffer like this, let alone die at work.
— We’re hearing more and more about fatal accidents at other workplaces as well. What does this say about working conditions in Belarus under Lukashenko’s regime?
— I’d say the issue here isn’t even working conditions themselves, but the standards for those conditions. Since hardly anyone cares about workers’ problems these days, they’re just sent off to work. Don’t want to? We’ll fire you—go and work. In other words, in my view, very little attention is paid to safety and working conditions today.
Most likely, the focus is on meeting deadlines.
People here are in a completely different position than a worker should be. Instructions are supposed to protect workers at the workplace, and it should be made clear to them: if you don’t follow them, People here are in a position that’s completely different from what a worker should be in. At a company, instructions should protect the worker in every way, and it should be made clear to them: if you don’t follow them, you’ll be held responsible, and you’ll either have your bonus withheld or be fired. In other words, working conditions and safety must be the top priority at all enterprises, regardless of where they operate. And it’s hard to say how objective that will be. The most important thing is that people simply shouldn’t suffer—let alone lose their lives—at work.
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