Students work on farm, administration calls police instead of paying

The students of Homel University of Transport worked on a farm but they almost got arrested instead of getting paid.  The young people were offered 5 kilos of carrots for several hours of work in the fields of the agricultural complex “Ushod”. The farm guards called the police when the students were about to leave with their fee.

“About 250-300 students went to work there,” a student who worked at “Ushod” told Euroradio. “I was on the other side of the field at that moment. Some of the students had put too many carrots in the boot, they said. I do not know whether it was one person or several people.”

Students have to work on farms every year. They usually do it instead of classes. Almost all students participate in harvesting: it is easier ‘to do it once and forget about it’ rather than trying to refuse an offer they are in no position to refuse.

Students fill in a special form and give their consent to receive payment in kind.

It is true that the farm is short-handed, the administration of the agricultural complex “Ushod” told Euroradio. Yet, it is necessary to work properly, they added. Nobody checks whether students take 5 or 8 kilos of carrots home but it is necessary to know when to stop.

“Our students are very shrewd,” representatives of the ideological department of the farm said. “They decided that the rules did not apply to them. The guard asked them to open the boot but they refused. He called the police and the carrots were weighed. There was 72 kilos in the boot. Even it was 5 people’s fee, it was too much (25 kilos per person). Nobody drew any report and that student was not detained.”

Yet, all the students were told to leave their carrots in the field although they had nothing to do with the person who had put 72 kilos in the boot, the students complained to Euroradio.

“The police arrived and told everyone to leave all the carrots in the field. We did it. It is clear why those who took too much had to do it, but we did not do anything bad… Yet, they told us to empty our sacks because it was a law violation! All our fellow students went home empty-handed.”

There was no conflict and the incident got boosted, the university administration told Euroradio.

“Our students have been participating in harvesting for many years and will keep doing it,” pro-rector Halina Chayankova said. “Nothing has happened. Students from another faculty asked a friend to bring carrots for 15 or 16 people. Why would one student need so many carrots? They did not listen to him and called the police… They thought that it was for one person. The position of the agricultural complex “Ushod” is strange. They should have been grateful for help instead of turning it into a scandal.”

Students participate in harvesting on a voluntary basis and can refuse, Chayankova added. Young people are very happy do to this job, she noted.