Henadz Fiadynich: Crisis to spill over into streets in the autumn

Riot police will not manage to stop a critical mass of discontent.

Henadz Fedynich, the leader of the Trade Union of radio-electronic industry, told website Belaruskaya prauda about the mood in the production environment.

- Minsk Production Association of Computer Engineering Techniques (MPOVT) have been put on a four-day work week, and this week the Association does not work because of debts to the Ministry of Energy, - he said. - Last year employees earned about Br4.400 million, now the average salary does not even reach Br3 million, cleaners do not get even Br2 million. A similar situation is possible for all companies, except for the Belaruskali and refineries.

There are no problems with currency in any exchange office. So what is the real reason for it? People have started to sell currency they bought last year because they have not money for living. Also there come huge debts for public utilities.

And how anyone can say about spongers when there is anarchy in economy, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Companies cannot sell their products not because they don't want to, but because the Belarusian industry is focused on Russian and Ukrainian markets. There are no spare markets, what is an obvious mistake both of the government and country's leadership.

And what is happening to businessmen? 120 thousand businessmen are asking for one thing: do not bother them working! The government claims to obey rules of the Customs Union. First, the Belarusians were "cheated" with cars, now entrepreneurs are being imposed the rules of the Customs Union. Why must the Belarusians suffer because of decisions made by Putin? The Customs Union was beneficial to Belarus until it received credits, cheap oil and gas from Russia. Now the situation is turning, it is unknown whether Belarus has received Russian credit in the same amount. The work of the IMF mission in Minsk does not guarantee that the country will receive the credit either.

Wages in the country are not rising now. The public policy is focused on bleeding people dry, there is no other way out. Anti-sponger tax, increase of taxes, utility bills, expected increase in prices for public transport up to Br10 thousand are links of the chain.

Some people are confused; workers resign from enterprises because they have been made do it. Where should they go then? Are there free departments, where they can work with a promised salary of $500? There are none!

-Belarusian industry is focused on the Russian market, which is also in crisis. Therefore, are there no prospects for the industry?

- If there are any in Russia, Belarus, then, also will succeed. But now it is not possible. I fear that on the background of the economic crisis, corruption at the highest level may again overrun Belarus. I'm talking about officials who order about public property. They have driven up prices for the MPOVT up to $10 billion— no one wants to buy it; they will wait a bit, then decrease prices to $8, 5, 3, 2 billion and sell it for a mere song, then put a shadow payback in their pockets. It is voiced, people do not have faith in fair government. To prevent it, the privatization process should be transparent.

-How do workers take the situation?

- Extremely negative. The fear of losing a job takes the second place, every self-respecting employee will not work for Br3 million, he may make a fast buck. Why has the government taken a break in adopting the anti-sponger decree? Workers at the enterprises are being oppressed; if anything is wrong then leave. A colleague from a car repair plant managed to have a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Transport and he was told: if you do not like it then leave. Where should he leave? People want to earn enough money to keep families, but they are taken the opposite direction.

Decree on serfdom is being implemented now. But every medal has its reverse side: heads of enterprises, remember you will be responsible for the enterprise. If there are only 500 employees of 5 000 left, the enterprise will not make a profit and there will be no money to pay taxes. Then who will be responsible for it? And you will have to pay. It is unknown where you can be later. The first quarter will show that all regional and district budgets lose money.

It doesn't matter a worker will work in with - the State, a private owner or a capitalist. His work must be well-paid. And it is sad that people have been paid out only a half of their salaries. It is worth recognizing the breakdown of public policy. Now the State demands to tighten belts. Ok, let's start from the top: provide three meals a week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday: people need to know that officials are fed three times a week instead of three times a day.

- Only in February, the official number of unemployed increased by almost 12 thousand. How large-scale may unemployment be?

- We have always said that hidden unemployment is at least 15 percent. Now hidden unemployment becomes open. People were kept at the enterprises, unable to work, managers could not lay off excess workforce. Now the situation is the opposite. But who will go for $8 to the labour exchange? There is no adequate state retraining program. We do not need lawyers and economists. On Saturday I was in Brest at a construction site – there is work, but no money. Where should migrant laborers from Russia work? The situation has become even worse.

-What the increase in unemployment, the return of at least 500 thousand migrant laborers who need a job may lead to?

Riot police will not manage to stop a critical mass of discontent. It is extremely serious when domestic problems become a problem of the State. I do not think that the government is so shortsighted, that does not realize what is happening, it just doesn't know how to deal with problems. Situation cannot be changed radically: we have already been late for 20 years and a year is not enough to put things right. People will not understand calls to tighten their belts. Let's everyone then earns Br2-3 million: the President, ministers, MPs, an employee. Then people will tighten their belts to change situation for the better. But in case it will not happen, the government will be overthrown. No publicity - no trust. As soon as the Government declares that there will be no devaluation, people prepare for it.

But it is impossible to make everybody equal. There is one point left - to bleed people dry. What is going to be next? Hungry, angry and poor people are a terrible force.

- Unless something is left, a Belarusian will keep silence.

–It is not worth waiting for protests in the spring. But it is possible in the autumn; there are no resources in the economy to resolve problems. The number of offences will increase because of the fact that population will be engaged in robberies. The State needs to be prepared for all the charms of the crisis.