Slavyanka director slams calls for strikes

MINSK, 28 October (BelTA) - Strikes at factories and plants are unacceptable, Director of OAO Slavyanka Teimuraz Bochorishvili said in an interview with the SB. Belarus Segodnya newspaper, BelTA has learned.

It is difficult for a factory to survive without continuous improvement, modernization, Teimuraz Bochorishvili said. "I would say it is almost impossible. We spend at least $150,000-200,000 every year on new equipment," he said. The factory also invests a lot to develop its supply chain and to promote cooperation with online stores.

"When output grows, wages of factory workers do too. People work to earn money. What will they get if they stop working? Nothing," Teimuraz Bochorishvili said. “Every employee participates in the fulfillment of contracts signed by the factory. If the factory fails to ship goods, it breaches a contract which leads to the disruption of ties. Will the workers benefit from it? I doubt it.”

“Workers do have the right to complain about poor working conditions, low wages, violations of the collective agreement. I do not argue this. But in this case, they need to get together with the administration and find common ground. As for various strikes for political reasons, they are not acceptable at factories and plants at all."

The factory workers understand that wages depend on the factory's income, and that destructive actions worsen the situation. "We are constantly busy. if there is work, there are wages. Wages are not bad at our factory," the factory's seamstress Lydia Yesina said.

Trimmer Natalia Dedkova agrees with her co-worker: "We cannot complain. I am, for example, a single mother, but I was able to purchase an apartment. Our work is well paid. The main thing is not to be lazy. What will change for me if I go to protest for some illusive good? Nothing. You need to work to live. To live well, you need to work hard."

OAO Slavyanka is one of the largest light industry companies and is a member of the Belarusian light industry concern Bellegprom. It produces apparel for adults and children. Production capacity is about 600,000 items per year.