Aliaksandr Bukhvostau: Minskdrev Workers Need To Proceed To Active Struggle

Rights belong to those who defend them.

“Minskdreva” reduced working day for its workers to two hours. If an employee refuses to work under these conditions, they are dismissed with the provision of severance pay in the amount of two-week earnings.

Aliaksandr Bukhvostau, chairman of the Free Trade Union of Metalworkers, commented on the situation for Charter97.org:

- This is a violation of labor laws, a gross violation of a collective agreement, if they have one.

Do they have any trade unions there at all? This is an open question. Because such a decision must first have been agreed with the trade unions. If there are no trade unions there or there is a cell of the official federation of trade unions - which is the same thing - then the management of the enterprise could easily get the go-ahead for its illegal actions.

The workers of “Minskdrev” should mobilize and actively defend their rights.

This involves several levels. First, if they do not want to immediately proceed to radical actions, they need to write to the labor inspectorate, report a gross violation of the Labor Code.

Within the framework of the law, the administration of the enterprise had to take from each worker a personal consent to a 2-hour work schedule. But I am sure that no one even tried to get such consent.

The second stage of the struggle is to proceed to action. Including go to us, independent trade unions and say: let's fight together, help us defend our rights.

Workers must take the initiative. Take the example of France - it is necessary to fight for the rights, including in the streets, with strikes.

There is such a fundamental formula: they treat you the way you let them to.