December

2000

From the editors

Dear businessmen.

One more not simple for us, businessmen, year finishes. The year was very difficult. The state has complicated the local law in the field of business and taxation and has made it irrational. Our actions of the protest have allowed slightly to suspend that bank "of novelties" which were prepared to us in 2000 from the different inspectors.

The last action, November 23 – the national strike of businessmen is the most successful for all history of the strike movement. More than 150 thousand businessmen and people working on hiring took part in the action. Once again the editors of the bulletin "Businessman" express deep gratitude to all strikers. The 2001 does not promise us anything good. The Decree on which rates of the fixed tax will double or will even increase in three times has already been ready. According to information we have got tax inspections were given the indication: some businessmen should be checked up a genesis of the goods. If the goods are from the third countries, then they will fine and except the property. What shall we do? First of all, it is necessary to be united. And to be united with health forces. We are the only country in the world where businessmen were united in the all-republican trade union and start the new millennium from the national strike.

Secondly it is necessary to realise the local and national actions of the protest. We should be heard. The actions should be as much as possible prepared and be realised with the least injury for strikers. Thirdly it is necessary to conduct training of the businessmen to the legal letter and protection of the own rights. All this we shall do in 2001. It was very difficult for us, but we have stood our ground.

We congratulate you with New Year! We wish you good health, businessmen’s luck, blind inspectors, huge quantity of current assets, fulfilment of the most treasured desires in New year!

Thank for your support.

Yours faithfully

Valery Levonevsky

The information message

December 18, 2000 in Minsk the meeting of businessmen was held. The meeting was held despite of counteraction of authorities and leaders of the Free Trade unions Belorussian. There were twice more people than it had been announced (it had been announced up to hundred men) at the meeting.

17.12.2000 at the market "Dinamo" four men were arrested by the employees of militia for propaganda of businessmen to participate in the meeting. The protocols were drawn up on two men. Approximately for 2 hours the chairman of the Strike Committee of the Businessmen Valery Levonevsky was arrested. The employees of militia had approved for two hours that Levonevsky is not registered in Grodno and in the Grodno region such surname does not exist. (Notice - only in the telephone reference book of. Grodno the surname Levonevsky meets more than 10 times). The protocol of detention was not made. Before this accident a member of the team of Valery Levonevsky have been illegally withdrawn the passport by the employees of militia at the market "Malinovka".

Strangely enough but the leaders of the Free Trade union Byelorussian also tried to break the meeting. The amplifying equipment for the meeting was promised a week ago but it was not submitted to the beginning of the meeting on the formal and far-fetched reasons (technical worker who is responsible for this equipment disappear suddenly). Above all on eve of the meeting according to the decision of the Council of the Free Trade union Belorussian all the most active organisations of businessmen which are included in the Free Trade unions were unexpectedly dispossessed of registration to formal reasons. According to the decision of the Strike Committee of businessmen the businessmen’s organisations will be injected step-by-step from the Free trade unions and new structures of businessmen will be created.

Unfortunately, businessmen became the hostages of politics tricks spent by BNF and organisations created by them earlier. The Free Trade union Belorussian was created as a front body. Today, it represents of a latent member of BNF - "unified" candidate from BNF and radical opposition on a post of the president – Semen Domash who is not supported either by businessmen or by the population of Belarus. It is the main reason of the conflict.

But despite of the joint counteraction of the leaders of the Free trade unions and government bodies - the action was a success. The national strike of the businessmen will be held from 1.01.2001 till 5.01.2001. Some regions will strike for a long time (from two weeks to one month). The main requirements of those who took part in the 18.12.2000 meeting and in the strike from 1.01.2001:

1. Cancellation of the Order of the State customs committee of the Republic of Belarus from September 20, 2000 N 55: "About customs registration of the goods … " in a part concerned with the personal businessmen;

2. Cancellation of administrative and criminal responsibility of the personal businessmen to the formal and far-fetched reasons, cancellation of the groundlessly high administrative fines for the personal businessmen. The maximum size of the administrative fine should not exceed 10 minimal wages;

3. Reduction of the rent payment for trade places. The cost of one square meter of the trade area at the markets should not be higher than the cost of square meter of the trade area in a shops;

4. Non-admission of increase of the present fixed rates of tax for the personal businessmen on the project of the Decree «About the single tax … »;

5. Modification in the Decrees of the President of RB #14 from 04.08.97 and #15 from 04.09.98 eliminating the confiscation of goods. The property should be inviolable;

6. Beginning of substantial talks with the strike committee of the businessmen;

7. Dismissal of the Minister of justice of the Republic of Belarus for red tape and bureaucracy in registration of the Belorussian Trade union of the Businessmen (BTUB);

8. Dismissal of the employees of militia preventing to work to the trade union of the businessmen at the market "Dinamo" in Minsk;

9. Increase of a mean wage and pensions up to 100 dollars of the USA per one month, grant to the students up to 60 dollars of the USA by May, 2001.

The chairman of the press service of the Strike committee of

Businessmen of the Republic of Belarus,

The vice-chairman of BTUB                                                Leonid Kalitenya

Information on the tel. in Minsk 260-97-75

Pager 211-00-00 subscriber 88 767

Question - answer

Question: Why does the strike last only 5 days instead of the whole month?

Answer: There are several reasons. The first reason is that a lot of citizens of Minsk have already paid taxes. The second reason is that we hope that the government will begin talks with the Strike committee of the businessmen. The third reason is that we are not yet ready to the national strike for one month. The preparation for such action should begin one month prior to its realisation, the large money resources are necessary. The businessmen of Minsk are not yet ready to strike for the whole month. Therefore monthly strike shall be conducted in regions. Terms and time will be co-ordinated with the local trade unions of businessmen. From the point of view of the strike committee it is much more effectively and painlessly for businessmen to conduct one-day national strikes 1-2 times per one month. Besides at a local level it is possible to conduct a strike for a whole month putting forward the local requirements. We are ready to support up these requirements by all republic having organised the one-day national stock of the protest.

Let's see how businessmen will maintain this test per five days. It is very important for all businessmen to support the strike from January 1 till January 5, 2001.

Question: What shall we do with the back sheep?

Answer: The same as 23.11.2000. Rewrite them. We through the line of the trade union shall ask tax and other bodies to conduct complex checks for them. The tax bodies willingly agree to conduct checks for these people as we shall not defend them.

Question: What has happened in the Free Trade union Belorussky (FTUB)? Why were the most "battle" trade unions of the businessmen eliminated by the Council from the free trade union FTUB?

Answer: Really to the formal and far-fetched reasons many most active trade unions of the businessmen were eliminated from free trade unions. From our point of view it was made to ease the businessmen’s movement and to subordinate it BNF on the eve of the election of the president. The businessmen stand sharply against the policy of a radical part of BNF which offers to struggle with the Russian imperialism, incinerates the Russian flags, is going to implant «native language», to punish its political opponents and "vertical" etc. Unfortunately, the management of FTUB is the representatives of the radical part of BNFФ (secret and vivid). These solutions of the Council of FTUB are obviously illegal and will be appealed in the courts. What could not be done by the authorities (destroy our movement) now the leaders of FTUB and BNF try to do. But they will receive nothing. We have been ready to such change of events.

Question: What results do one-day and short strikes give? We have paid taxes and rent of places.

Answer: As the practice shows the effect from short strikes is greater than from long ones. For example: on the goods from the third countries. While victory is not got on this problem, but mass reprisals also are absent. The most important thing is that from the actions of the protest businessmen bear minimum losses. Unfortunately, without losses in general it is impossible to work.

Meetings

December, 2000 was full of meetings. The representatives of the Belorussian Trade union of Businessmen repeatedly met with the representatives of the diplomatic corps of the USA and Germany, representatives of the Belorussian authorities and state MASS-MEDIAS, representatives of the State Duma of Russian Federation etc. It appears that not everyone support A. Lukashenko in Russia - only part of the communist fraction. Who is interested in policy can read about these meetings in the next issues of NPB (New Party Bulletin -(http://npb.by.ru/)

Practically, all countries support the Belorussian businessmen in their struggle for creation of the free, economically developed state. The Turkish businessmen have gone further. They have offered various help in the making of middle class in Belarus. If we speak about Turkey it is a less developed country, we have lagged behind in the development approximately for 20 years as contrasted to it. The customs and visa registration takes 1-2 minutes. The cost of the visa is 10 dollars of the USA. All Turkey is a market. They sell everywhere. All first floors are shops. They trade at the streets, the cellular telephones are sold as sunflower seeds at each corner. Practically in every shop there are translators of the Russian and English language. A mean wage is 10 dollars per day. The loaf of bread costs 10-20 cents. The calculation is made in any currency except for the Belorussian “hares”. The cash vehicles, fly-off slips and registration are absent. What the certificates of quality are they do not know. Only in Istanbul there are more than 1000 places where it is possible to buy ornaments from gold. And in several such shops the gold holding is more than a gold holding of all the Republic of Belarus. As one large Turkish manufacturer has explained their businessmen were arrested for currency approximately 25 years ago, now such things does not take place. As the consequent of it annual in-leak of the capitals only from Russia in Turkey is calculated in tens billions of dollars. It is the investments! The sphere of tourism, service and hotel facilities is very much advanced. The meetings are hold very interestingly. Our delegation became the witness of the demonstration of the teachers who required increase of salary from 300 dollars of the USA up to 500 dollars of the USA. On 3 thousand demonstrators we counted only 5 policemen and that were representatives of the automobile inspection. The crowd bridged over the public road and went directly in the middle of the road. The policemen controlled that the cars gave the way to the demonstrators. If we speak about a policeman we should mention that they are very lovely and kind people. We have acquainted with the group on struggle with terrorism and wrongful narcotics trafficking. The group consists of six men. Mean age of them is 24 years. 4 men, 2 girl, three motorcycles "Ford", all are armed with tommy-guns and pistols. Our militiamen can only dream of such rigging.

(to be continued)

On photos:

Such are girls from the special division of the police of Turkey.

Small piece of a gold holding of one of the shops.