Workers face leaves, wage cuts due to crisis
Initially, enterprises worked 3-4 days a week. Now, they urge workers to take leaves. It has already been a month when the Brest Chemicals factory works 4 days a week. Having called the human resources department, the European Radio for Belarus learned that all the staff has taken a scheduled (!) leave.
According to Katsiaryna Belkautsova from the human resources, this is how the factory struggles with overproduction. “We worked 4 days a week in order to avoid overproduction and the freezing of the circulating assets. On March 2, all the staff had to take a scheduled paid leave”.
The automobile assembly plant in Baranavichy has worked just 3 days a week beginning from March. Alexander – an engineer – says they have not been paid their wages yet. But apparently, the wage – just like the number of working days – will be less by 40 percent.
According to Alexander, the work of his plant has slowed down due to the problems at the Minsk Automobile Works which has also reduced the working week to three days.
Alexander: “Our output targets have also been reduced. We are tied with the Minsk Automobile Works which has reduced production output. Correspondingly, our output has dropped as well. The same thing is with Russian contractor KAMAZ. Car-making industry in the whole world is in deep crisis. Therefore, we have few orders. Those from Russia are not paid, either”.
An anti-crisis commission is gathered at the plant daily, but it is unclear when all this will stop.
Andrei, a worker at the Babruisk-based Belarusgumatekhnika, says the number of his working shifts has reduced from 21 to 7. Correspondingly, the wage has been cut by more than a half. “When I had 21 shifts, I would get around Br600,000 ($300). Now, I am getting some Br280,000”.
The management of the electric lamp factory in Brest made a present to its workers on January 23 by having reduced the working week to 4 days. Vital, a fire safety engineer complains that they have not worked worse, but the wages are cut.
The Minsk Tractor Works has begun scheduled repairs on working days instead of days off as it used to be, mechanic Vital told the European Radio for Belarus.
“Repair days can be on Friday or Monday. Before, repair days would be scheduled for Saturdays”.
On top of that, the Minsk Tractor Works urges workers to go on leave. It plans to send 20 percent of workers for leaves.
Santa-Bremor seafood factory has a similar situation. It has already sent 953 workers on leaves. But the management says the crisis is allegedly not the reason. They told our radio that a new floor is being laid in one of the workshops.
Meanwhile, Belarus’s Statistics Agency reports that an average salary across the country rose in February 2009.
Photo: belmedia.net
According to Katsiaryna Belkautsova from the human resources, this is how the factory struggles with overproduction. “We worked 4 days a week in order to avoid overproduction and the freezing of the circulating assets. On March 2, all the staff had to take a scheduled paid leave”.
The automobile assembly plant in Baranavichy has worked just 3 days a week beginning from March. Alexander – an engineer – says they have not been paid their wages yet. But apparently, the wage – just like the number of working days – will be less by 40 percent.
According to Alexander, the work of his plant has slowed down due to the problems at the Minsk Automobile Works which has also reduced the working week to three days.
Alexander: “Our output targets have also been reduced. We are tied with the Minsk Automobile Works which has reduced production output. Correspondingly, our output has dropped as well. The same thing is with Russian contractor KAMAZ. Car-making industry in the whole world is in deep crisis. Therefore, we have few orders. Those from Russia are not paid, either”.
An anti-crisis commission is gathered at the plant daily, but it is unclear when all this will stop.
Andrei, a worker at the Babruisk-based Belarusgumatekhnika, says the number of his working shifts has reduced from 21 to 7. Correspondingly, the wage has been cut by more than a half. “When I had 21 shifts, I would get around Br600,000 ($300). Now, I am getting some Br280,000”.
The management of the electric lamp factory in Brest made a present to its workers on January 23 by having reduced the working week to 4 days. Vital, a fire safety engineer complains that they have not worked worse, but the wages are cut.
The Minsk Tractor Works has begun scheduled repairs on working days instead of days off as it used to be, mechanic Vital told the European Radio for Belarus.
“Repair days can be on Friday or Monday. Before, repair days would be scheduled for Saturdays”.
On top of that, the Minsk Tractor Works urges workers to go on leave. It plans to send 20 percent of workers for leaves.
Santa-Bremor seafood factory has a similar situation. It has already sent 953 workers on leaves. But the management says the crisis is allegedly not the reason. They told our radio that a new floor is being laid in one of the workshops.
Meanwhile, Belarus’s Statistics Agency reports that an average salary across the country rose in February 2009.
Photo: belmedia.net
