Information
message.
21.09.99 at 11.00 in Grodno, at the market "Southern" unauthorised meeting organised by municipal and regional authorities, the administration of the market and the Ministry of business and investments was held. The total number of participants is more than 600 people.
The bodies of militia did not undertake any measures to prevent this meeting. The authorities assured the businessmen that all their proposals (including the project of the decree offered by Valery Levonevsky) would be considered and the solution would be accepted on them. Before the acceptance of the solution the punitive measures foreseen by decree #14 will not be applied. The authorities stated that they needed time for consideration of the proposals of the free trade union of the businessmen and asked the businessmen to start work from 25.09.99. The businessmen of Grodno said that they agree to give chance to the authorities to correct the errors and to stop indefinite the strike from 1.10.99.
The problem was put to vote. For the proposal of the authorities only three participants of the meeting voted.
Despite of it, businessmen of Grodno decided to give the next chance to the authorities and to start work from 1.10.99. We hope that we would not be deceived in the next time. The businessmen of Grodno said that they would realise weekly one-day actions of the protest and reserve the right to originate all-republican strike from 1.11.99.
22.09.99 the all-republican preventive one-day strike organised by the strike committee of the leaders of the businessmans structures and organisations (of the free and independent trade unions of the businessmen) was held.
The main requirements of the striking: cancellation of item 1.22 of decree #14, acceptance of the decree in a full volume offered by the Grodno Free Trade union of the Businessmen (is published in the bulletin "THE EMPLOYER" #24), cancellation of obligatory certification and hygienic registration of small crews of the goods (up to 100 units), cancellation of obligatory cheque system at realisation of the goods, cancellation of broad explanation of the hidden income, cancellation of criminal prosecution of the businessmen for small repeated "offences", unchangeable rates of fixed tax when they are counted in dollars of the USA etc. (see bulletin "Businessman").
Despite of active counteraction of the state trade union "Sadruzhosts" which asked the businessmen not to support the Free trade union and to start work 22.09.99, the action was a success. More than 70 % of the businessmen of the Republic of Belarus trading in the markets do not work (everywhere where the information about the strike was received. Practically all regional and district centres did not work). In "the den" of the trade union "Sadruzhnosts": at the ware market of the Minsk stadium "Dinamo", where the positions of this trade union were considered to be the strongest and where the greatest propaganda activity against the strike was conducted, nobody from the businessmen worked.
22.09.99 the constituent assembly of the Free Trade union of the Belorussian citizens, the businessmen and people working on hiring of the ware market of the stadium "Dinamo" was held. As on 22.09.99 in all markets of Minsks free trade unions of the businessmen or initiative groups on creation of these trade unions are created. There is a preparation to create the republican trade union of the businessmen.
30.09.99 (Thursday) the next one-day all-republican action of the protest is carried out. All markets of the republic terminate their activity for one day, the one-day actions will be realised 3-4 times per one month.
The feature of this action of the protest is that alongside with the requirements which have been mentioned above, the businessmen support the requirements of workers (on 30.09.99 large-scale actions of the workers are intended) and will support them in their street actions.
The meeting of the strike committee and the meetings with the representatives of the authority are intended on 27.09.99 in Minsk. After the meeting of the strike committee the press conference is to be held.
The chairman of the strike committee,
The head of the initiative group
On creation of the republican trade union of the businessmen, member of the council of CBB
Valery Levonevsky
Additional information can be got: tel./fax (Grodno) - (0152) 31-30-62, pager (0152) 73-00-00 subscriber 95200. For the letters: 230005, Grodno - 5, subscriber box 63. E-mail:
levonevski2000@mail.ru
