"Granite": harmful conditions of work decreased only on paper
Workers of the "Granite"
enterprise keep returning to the independent trade union after the
abridgment of facilities.
This was stated to BelaPAN by a
leader of the independent trade union organization at the enterprise,
Anatol Litsvinka: "Following the last year's attestation, the
facilities for harmful conditions of work were artificially
decreased. We used to have the coefficient of harm 3.3, whereas now
the dust loading ha allegedly decreased, and the coefficient became
just 2.2. It means that we will be given 7 extra days of vacation for
the harm instead of 14, and the bonus wages will be reduced from 0.2%
to 0.14%."
Mr. Litsvinka says that the workers are forced
to agree to the new conditions for the fear of non-prolongation of
the labor contracts, and that he doesn't know about any measures
taken at the enterprise to decrease the harmfulness of
work:
"Sometimes, workers cannot see one another at a
five-meter distance because of the dust in the workshops! And here
they declare that the dust loading has decreased... The plant has
been working for 30 years and no measures have been taken to improve
the situation," says the activist.
According to Mr.
Litsvinka, the only way for the workers to protect their rights is to
unite within the framework of independent trade union
organizations:
"All this made our workers indignant, and
now the authorities can receive a situation similar to that preceding
the establishment of the independent trade union at "Granite".
These days, five men have come to me, asking to accept them in the
independent trade union. Our membership will increase thanks to the
efforts of the administration, as common problems have always united
people, and there is no alternative to the independent trade union at
the plant."
As stated by the head of the Belarusian
Confederation of Democratic Trade Unions Aliaksandr Yarashuk, such
problem also exists at other enterprises with harmful
industries:
"We are raising this issue very acutely
before the government and the Ministry of Labor. The problem of
harmfulness of the industry is solved by holding attestations, as a
result of which new parameters are introduced, as a result of which
the things which used to be considered as harmful suddenly stop being
such... This is a real problem for workers, not only at "Granite",
but at all enterprises with harmful conditions of work."
According
to Mr. Yarashuk, sometimes the workers manage to defend the right to
facilities for the harmful conditions of work. In particular, several
months ago the open stock company "Hrodna Azot" was visited
by the first vice-Prime-Minister Uladzimir Siamashka, whose workers
expressed to him their protest in connection with this issue. As a
result, the facilities at the enterprise were left unchanged.