120 thousand Belarusians do not receive wages at their enterprises
They have been “voluntarily” furloughed. People agree to it and to working half-time upon pain of dismissal. According to the information of the Belarusian Federation of Trade Unions announced by its head Leanid Kozik the other day, about 300 thousand people have to work halftime in our country now. ERB has found out whether the people really agreed to such a reduction of staff.
The head of the legal advice office of the Federation of Trade Unions Uladzimir Shalkovich has explained that administrations do not have to ask their employees for any permission to make them work half-time. On the contrary, they may be fired if they do not agree to the decision of their administration.
Uladzimir Shalkovich: “The employer informs them about the situation and says that they will work four days a week starting from the next week. If employees agree to it, the law does not oblige to inform them a month before. Others say: “If the situation is like this, you should warn us and we will decide everything according to the law”. In this case such workers will continue working according to the old schedule for a month and then the employer will be able to introduce the new schedule for them. If somebody says they would like to work according to the old schedule, it will be preserved for them for one more month and then they will be dismissed according to p.5 of article 35. Employees do not have to write any appeals – the employer decides everything”.
A MAZ worker Uladzimir Druhakou has confirmed to ERB that the administration does not ask workers for permission before making them work half-time. According to him, he and his colleagues used to get 1 million a month and now they get 800-900 thousands. Some people look for additional jobs, others leave.
Uladzimir Druhakou: “Our average wage used to be about 1 million when we were on full time the whole month. If we work only 15 days a month, we get about 800 or 900 thousands. Those who think it is not enough have to find additional jobs. Young people who find other jobs just leave”.
Those who have to rent a flat or to pay a credit suffer most. The MAZ worker says that more and more people are beginning to think about leaving – people do not believe that the situation may change for the better.
Uladzimir Druhakou: “If a person rents a flat, for example, a young family, and they have to pay a credit, how can they survive? You cannot survive with this money”.
The situation is lik this not only at MAZ, says one of the leaders of the independent Belarusian trade unions Alyaksandr Yarashuk.
Alyaksandr Yarashuk: “These problems concern all machine-building enterprises. For example, the Tractor plant and the enterprises working for the Tractor plant. The same can be said about the machine-tool construction. All those enterprises, and we know that our industry has not changed since the Soviet epoch, work for the Russian market”.
He says that the independent trade unions do not observe any authorities’ steps aimed at improving the situation.
Alyaksandr Yarashuk: “All the economic policy is directed at the moment when Russian markets will open and we will start selling our products to Russia again. Inducing the products from ware-houses. But we cannot be sure it will happen”.
It means that the number of people working half-time will not decrease soon. Yarashuk does not believe that the number announced by Kozik (300 thousands) is true. However, he agrees that 40% of those people are furloughed. Even according to the official information, 120 thousand people do not get paid at all. According to him, the number will keep increasing.
Alyaksandr Yarashuk: “The number will certainly keep increasing owing to those who will stop working half-time”.
According to the lawyer of the official trade unions Uladzimir Shalkovich, workers appeal for vacations at their own expense themselves. In his turn, Alyaksandr Yarashuk is sure that administrations force them to do so upon pain of dismissal. And people agree. They do it to keep their work-book active, to earn seniority and to be able to return to work when the situation changes for the better. Meanwhile, they have to learn to survive on their own. He thinks that many people will need this experience soon.
The head of the legal advice office of the Federation of Trade Unions Uladzimir Shalkovich has explained that administrations do not have to ask their employees for any permission to make them work half-time. On the contrary, they may be fired if they do not agree to the decision of their administration.
Uladzimir Shalkovich: “The employer informs them about the situation and says that they will work four days a week starting from the next week. If employees agree to it, the law does not oblige to inform them a month before. Others say: “If the situation is like this, you should warn us and we will decide everything according to the law”. In this case such workers will continue working according to the old schedule for a month and then the employer will be able to introduce the new schedule for them. If somebody says they would like to work according to the old schedule, it will be preserved for them for one more month and then they will be dismissed according to p.5 of article 35. Employees do not have to write any appeals – the employer decides everything”.
A MAZ worker Uladzimir Druhakou has confirmed to ERB that the administration does not ask workers for permission before making them work half-time. According to him, he and his colleagues used to get 1 million a month and now they get 800-900 thousands. Some people look for additional jobs, others leave.
Uladzimir Druhakou: “Our average wage used to be about 1 million when we were on full time the whole month. If we work only 15 days a month, we get about 800 or 900 thousands. Those who think it is not enough have to find additional jobs. Young people who find other jobs just leave”.
Those who have to rent a flat or to pay a credit suffer most. The MAZ worker says that more and more people are beginning to think about leaving – people do not believe that the situation may change for the better.
Uladzimir Druhakou: “If a person rents a flat, for example, a young family, and they have to pay a credit, how can they survive? You cannot survive with this money”.
The situation is lik this not only at MAZ, says one of the leaders of the independent Belarusian trade unions Alyaksandr Yarashuk.
Alyaksandr Yarashuk: “These problems concern all machine-building enterprises. For example, the Tractor plant and the enterprises working for the Tractor plant. The same can be said about the machine-tool construction. All those enterprises, and we know that our industry has not changed since the Soviet epoch, work for the Russian market”.
He says that the independent trade unions do not observe any authorities’ steps aimed at improving the situation.
Alyaksandr Yarashuk: “All the economic policy is directed at the moment when Russian markets will open and we will start selling our products to Russia again. Inducing the products from ware-houses. But we cannot be sure it will happen”.
It means that the number of people working half-time will not decrease soon. Yarashuk does not believe that the number announced by Kozik (300 thousands) is true. However, he agrees that 40% of those people are furloughed. Even according to the official information, 120 thousand people do not get paid at all. According to him, the number will keep increasing.
Alyaksandr Yarashuk: “The number will certainly keep increasing owing to those who will stop working half-time”.
According to the lawyer of the official trade unions Uladzimir Shalkovich, workers appeal for vacations at their own expense themselves. In his turn, Alyaksandr Yarashuk is sure that administrations force them to do so upon pain of dismissal. And people agree. They do it to keep their work-book active, to earn seniority and to be able to return to work when the situation changes for the better. Meanwhile, they have to learn to survive on their own. He thinks that many people will need this experience soon.
