Salihorsk: Vertical ‘Prepares to City’s Jubilee’ and Prohinits Local Referendum
During 17 months workers of Salihorsk and Salihorsk district will have to give away a part of the earned means for celebration of the 50th anniversary of the city. By its decision #130 of 26 January Salihorsk district executive committee recommended to people making donations for the celebration. Then the committee ruled ‘to declare that at least 20 % of one days’ wage of all workers of an organization is to be transferred to the account of Salihorsk district executive committee for being spent on beautification of the city and its district’ (ruling #246 of 22 February 2007).
The means are raised on all enterprises of Salihorsk in a similar way. For instance, in Belaruskaliy the sum of donation is specified in the documents with which heads of workshops or other responsible officials come to ordinary workers.
At the sitting of 19 March the director general of Belaruskaliy said: ‘Nobody forces the workers to give away their money, and I want to stress it in the presence of representatives of trade unions. However, I will ask chair of the enterprise departments about the results!’
REFERENDUM
The initiative group on holding of the local referendum concerning the construction of an Ice Palace in the place of Staravakzalny market was not registered by Salihorsk district executive committee (DEC).
On one hand, in its ruling the DEC says that the questions that were proposed for the referendum were of little importance to the population, on the other – that they were beyond the competency of the local authorities.
‘They are simply afraid to permit the referendum’, said the head of the initiative group Aliaksandr Tsedura. ‘Judging by the talks, the majority of the city’s residents get convinced that building an Ice Palace at the expense of the local budget is an unaffordable luxury. Most probably, the administration would have lost the referendum. Secondly, this action could serve an example for other cities.’
At the same time the local authorities continue raising finances for celebration of the 50th anniversary of Salihorsk. According to Bulletin online more and more workers dare to write refusals against donating money for the Ice Palace from their wages.
