Lukashenko intimidated striking workers with competitors from Russia
The shutdown of industrial enterprises in Belarus is beneficial to their competitors abroad, primarily in Russia.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced this today at a meeting with construction industry leaders.
“If, for example, the normally operating Belaruskali enterprise goes on strike for two days, then Uralkali and Campatex, Russian competitors and Canadians, will cross themselves and quickly put on the market what they want to supply. The same applies to MTZ, MAZ, and so on, for God’s sake. Today you will not produce 10 tractors, you will not put them on the market, tomorrow the Germans will come with the Americans, they will bring their equipment, the Russians will also cross themselves.
You need to understand that the economy in the world today is just beginning to revive; it was stopped due to the pandemic. And everyone is fighting for these markets in order to sell some tractor and so on. If we stop, we will never grow our production. Never. They will push us further into this swamp,” Lukashenko said.
He approved the practice of depriving workers who joined the protests of their wages.
“As I was told, there was only one example at MAZ or MTZ. There, 20 people decided to express their opinion, quit their jobs, and went. The head of production says: “Okay, go, go, guys, I have enough people, all this salary comes from these people.” We turned back and went to work. That is, people need to be told that this is their only chance to save their enterprises. And this is the nurse. By saving enterprises, you will feed your family,” the Belarusian president noted.
He believes that the organizers of mass protests pay money to ordinary participants.
“You can go to the streets, there are thousands of them, you can join. But if they give you money there, it will be for two days. For two days, some people were paid extra, we know them and showed them. Well, they’ll give you two days, but then what? Work collectives are the foundation of our country. We shouldn't keep anyone. If people want to work, please, here’s a job, come, work, if a person doesn’t want to work, well, we won’t drag him with a lasso,” Lukashenko summed up.
Currently, several dozen industrial enterprises have joined the protests in Belarus. The workers put forward exclusively political demands: new elections, an end to police violence on the streets, freedom for political prisoners.
About 85% of industrial enterprises in Belarus are state owned. Due to this, there are no reductions and benefits are maintained.
“For everyone who is now going on strike in Belarus, it would be good, among other things, to meet with the labor collectives of the Ukrainian Yuzhmash, Motor Sich, Nikolaev Shipyard, Antonov Design Bureau and other enterprises. It would be a very informative conversation,” Ukrainian journalist Yulia Vityazeva commented on the situation in Belarus.
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