Porters of Polatsk winery seeking reinstatement in court
On November 1
Polatsk District Court is expected to continue hearing the suit brought by
former employees of Polatsk winery Dzmitry Siankou and Viktar Rasliakou, who were
fired for alleged "systematic violations of labor discipline."
On
September 14, a spontaneous strike of the workers was started at the winery to
demand higher salaries. As a result, the
company's management promised to raise salaries by the end of the day. However,
the company was then visited the KGB agents who tried to identify the
instigators of the strike.
Two
active strikers Dzmitry Siankou and Viktar Rasliakou were reprimanded after
they joined the Free Trade Union of Belarus and reported on the actual situation
at the enterprise to the media. Then
the company's administration offered the employees a business trip to rural
areas for 1 month. After
the workers declined to travel, citing valid reasons, both were reprimanded again.
In
the first trial on 27 October, the plaintiffs demanded the cancellation of the
reprimands, reinstatement, payment for enforced idleness, and 10 million rubles
as compensation for moral damage. The lawsuit was supported
by the Belarusian Free Trade Union (SPB).