Strikes at Enterprises Continue

On June 1, workers of a house-building factory in Vitebsk refused to start work until they were paid their salaries.

Comment

Despite the increase in average wages in the country and economic stability, the situation at two enterprises remains tense. A decline in the pace of wages growth and breach of payment schedule immediately leads to social protests.

In contrast to the field of international policy, where Belarus continues its policy of pendulum by selectively fulfilling the requirements of the West and the Kremlin, Belarus’ internal social policy needs to be firm and the authorities need to act accordingly. They need to raise wages and to comply with the schedule of payments. Otherwise, labor collectives immediately go on strike.

Such a scenario was used in 2011 several times; it repeated at the house-building factory in Vitebsk. The salary was only one day delayed, however approximately one hundred employees of one of the factory’s department refused to start work and demanded to pay their salaries at once.

It is expected that the country’s authorities will continue to fulfill their promises to raise wages and to comply with the schedule of payments. At present, it is the only way for the government to avoid social protests.