Workers of MTW demand higher wages

The workers of the shop №91 of the Minsk Tractor Works (MTW) appealed to the labor union of radio-electronic industry to prepare the documents addressed to the company's management in connection with low wages.

While in general in the plant the wages were raised by 40%, the workers of the paint shop №91 in June and August got almost 20% less than in February this year. And the percentage are not linked to the dollar rate or a rise in prices, but to Belarusian rubles.

- And this at the time when the Tractor Works has already raised the salary for three times. The first two - by 10%, and the third - by 20%. Inflation in the country since the beginning of the year has amounted to more than 50%. Workers operate the full week, almost on a three-shift basis. They don't understand why their work was evaluated so unfair. The majority of the paint shop workers are women, - told praca-by.info Gennady Fedynich the chairman of the labor union.

The workers of the shop №91 wrote the statement to the director of MTW Alexander Puhovoy, in which they expressed their distrust to Amelkovich the head of the shop, and asked to conduct an unscheduled inspection of the Labor and Wages Bureau in order to avoid the reduction of costs and to raise wages not lower than inflation rate (50%).

"We, the workers, see no endevour of the head of the shop either for establishing the working environment in the team, or for fairly evaluation of our work. And we have nothing to say about his boorish attitude to us, the workers", says the statement of the painters shop №91.

According to Gennady Fedynich, the problems between the shops leadership and painters have already occurred in the past. The workers told the labor union leader, that in 2008 when Amelkovich headed the shop №91, the additional 7 days of their vacation were taken away, which is supposed to be given for the operation in hazardous working conditions. The MTW painters work in the heating chambers at a temperature above 100 degrees. Earlier this year, the workers on their own, without any help from the official labor union, had achieved an extraordinary assessment of workplaces, and as the result of which they were returned the additional 7 days of vacation.

According to the chairman of the labor union of radio-electronic industry, the low wages may be the effect of workers' activity.

In the appeal addressed to the director of the plant the workers warn:

"If after our statement to you, our demands are not satisfied, and from the side of A. Amelkovich the head of the shop persecutions begin, a harsh treatment and unreasonable non-renewal of contracts applied to the signatories of the statement, we will use our right to contact the appropriate supervisory higher authorities of the Republic of Belarus".