Trade union is expelled from plant

The administration of the Babruisk plant of tractor details and aggregates issued the ruling about the forced eviction of the local organization of the Free Trade Union of Belarus from its office. The order was signed by Piatro Slabadchuk, Deputy Chairperson on ideological work. The necessity of the eviction is motivated by ‘productive necessity’. The trade union considers the order unlawful and intends to go to the law.

At present, the office is situated in a workshop of the plant. The plant administration proposed the trade union to move to the building of the former guard room.

’Slabadchuk simply decided to remove the governing organ of the trade union from the plant, farther from the people. They even bricked up the entrance from the side of the plant in the new room. He established a commission for forced transfer of the office equipment to the new office for further work. We have honestly implemented our duties concerning the protection of the interests of members of the trade union, and the administration comes down on us as a result,’ states Mikhail Kavalkou, Chairperson of the trade union organization.

According to him, the trade union has already prepared complaints to the procuracy and the court against the actions of the plant administration. Mr. Kavalkou points that the attempts to evict the trade union organization take place every time the number of its member at the factory increases. The trade union organization was formed at the plant in 1998 and has about 300 members now.