MINSK, 20 August (BelTA) – The work stoppage will deal a serious blow to the companies' image, Director of the Institute of Economics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Vasily Gursky told reporters on 19 August, BelTA has learned.
“When they say that they want changes, they most likely mean good, positive changes. No one wants to live worse. However, the suspension of production and the loss of jobs can no way be called positive changes,” Vasily Gursky said.
He noted that the year 2020 was very hard from the economic standpoint. “Virtually all the neighboring countries admit that Belarus managed to minimize the aftermath of coronavirus as it did not put its economy on hold. Indeed, we suffered less than others. Our manufacturers got an opportunity to take market niches that became vacant. Now when other countries are working hard to restore their economies, we should not stop our production. Who will benefit from it? What is the fault of companies? If we shoot ourselves in the foot, what statement will we make?” the economist asked.
All people and their family members regardless of their political views should eat and have some clothes on, Vasily Gursky said. It is time to get ready to send children back to school. “It is obvious that the shutdown of enterprises means not only a decline in GDP and exports, losses for enterprises and a lack of budget revenues. This is primarily the lack of funds to pay salaries and pensions. Strikes are counterproductive. They are aimed at stimulating social tensions and transforming them into an economic turmoil. After all, when people are not paid a salary during the downtime at an enterprise, they will not blame those who have incited them to go on strike. They will blame the state, which seeks to preserve the manufacturing capabilities of the country,” Vasily Gursky said.
In addition to the direct negative consequences enterprises will surely face long-lasting damage to their image. “Loss of trust on the part of international financial institutions will make it more difficult for companies to take out loans and attract investment. Loss of markets will affect exports in the long run. No one needs an unreliable partner who is unable to execute a contract on time. Partners do not care what demands strikers put forward. ‘You go on strike we go look for other suppliers,' they say. It will be extremely difficult to restore trust in the future,” Vasily Gursky noted.
“Regardless of political beliefs rational people need to maintain a sense of responsibility for their families and for their country,” Vasily Gursky said.