January

2001

From the editors

Dear businessmen!

New millennium in Belarus began from the wide national strike of the businessmen. On 5.01.2001 the strike was held in Minsk, all regional centres and majority district (more than 90 %). 200.000 men from whom approximately 100.000 businessmen and 100.000 people working on hiring took part in the strike. The national strike continued for some days (on 5.01.2001) and its reason was that the government had failed to execute the obligations taken on to suspend the sanctions concerning the businessmen. Besides substantial talks of government with the strike committee of the businessmen have not begun till now.

The strike was organised by the Belorussian Trade union of the Businessmen and the strike committee of the businessmen of the Republic of Belarus.

The state trade unions and some "pseudo-leaders" from the businessmen tried to break the strike. But they could persuade only a few hundreds man everywhere in the republic to start their work and, as a rule, they were sellers who work for them under the agreement.

The short national strikes of the businessmen will be conducted regularly (approximately one time per one month) within all 2001, so long as the government will begin to execute the main requirements of the businessmen. We are preparing for the long-lasting strike of the businessmen. The strike showed that the businessmen disagree with the state policy spent in small and mean business. The businessmen are ready to protect their rights and legitimate interests.

The instructive lesson was taught by the Minsk tax inspection to the black-legs. When they, hoping to use the absence of the competitors, attempted to "earn", the tax inspection started the reinforced check. As for 9.01.2001 the talks of the Strike committee with the Government have not begun, the minister of business is sick, other ministers "rest" after holidays. According to the information we have, the project of the Decree of the president prepared by the tax organs on which it was supposed to increase the rates of taxes in two - three times is recalled. If our proposals to change the legislation are adopted then it will be easier for the businessmen to work. While we are engaged with the routine work � re-writing and preparation of the projects to change the laws. We inform about the results at the end of the month.

Our state television, as it was necessary to expect, lied frankly. They said that the markets worked during the strike. People, having believed this misinformation, visited empty markets and damned the authority for a fraud and for the time spent to visit empty markets.

What the scale of the following strike will be it depends on many factors. The solution on the long-lasting strike will be accepted only after appropriate questionnaire of the businessmen at the markets. The main questions of the questionnaire:

1. Are you ready to strike for 1)one day per one month, 2)two weeks per one month, 3)a month, 4)your version of the answer.

2. What date is appropriate to begin the strike?

3. Will you continue the long-lasting, if the part of people start to work in your or other city?

Some regions (cities) have taken a decision to strike for more than 5 days. It is the right of every businessmen�s trade union. Much depends on local conditions and fiscal bodies. As the protest against actions of the fiscal bodies or local authority it is possible to realise a separate one-day strike at the local level. It is possible, for example, to raise the question about dismissal of the most "hard-working" local tax inspector who is accused in roughness and boorishness concerning the businessmen. The management of the trade union has got the information about particular officials engaging in bribery. They are people, as a rule, who were dismissed for drunkenness from the previous place of work, lost shame and conscience and now they try to earn �to live on� at a new field. Their surnames are known for us but taking into account today's collective guarantee in the state bodies we while shall refrain from their publication.

The long-lasting strikes of the businessmen will be possible to conducted only when it will be impossible to work really. The strikes should be prepared. People, overwhelming majority of those who trade at the market, should be well informed and be ready not to work for a month and more. People should be ready if necessary to leave on streets and to put forward the political requirements. Unfortunately, many businessmen while are not ready to this. Better suffer the truth than prosper by falsehood. And the truth is that the meeting organised by the trade union of the businessmen at December 18, 2000 visited approximately 200 businessmen according our data. Alexander Grigorievich said on this occasion: �We permitted them to organise the meeting and they do not want to visit it, only 70 men have come�. Many our opponents rejoiced at this occasion, and �Pope Gapon� from Novopolotsk was very happy. He all the time wants to provoke an unprepared strike of the businessmen, but we know that it is impossible to thrust people in adventure. If the strike fail, it is a shock on concerns of all businessmen.

For today we think that the short strikes are more effective and are less painful for the businessmen as many of them can hardly make both ends meet, many of them should contain their family. For the majority of families the trade is the only source of the incomes.

If by the questionnaires we find out that even 90 % of the businessmen are ready to strike for a month, then we shall begin the preparation for such an action. The task of the strike committee is to conduct the action of the protest in the organised way and with the greatest advantage for the businessmen. How long this action will last, businessmen should decide themselves.

As for the 1-5 January strike you were convinced that if everything is well-prepared it is possible to get the maximum result. The strike committee of the businessmen, the Belorussian Trade union of the Businessmen and the editors of the bulletin expresses huge thanks to all businessmen who took part in the strike. The special thanks to active workers of the Strike Committee! We mark of the strike is 5 +. Only due to strikes we have achieved cancellation of the criminal responsibility for repeated �hiding of the income�.

The notice: since 2001 the new Criminal code of RB in which the liability for these "breach" is absent has got its force. Besides everyone who was earlier condemned under this article can address to the court: the previous conviction will be removed from them.

As to the separate facts of an imposition of sanctions to the businessmen in separate cities we have already repeatedly said: �Collect fees, create informational legal centres, hire lawyers, do not wait while �the thunder burst�.

The soup from cockroaches

5.01.2001 at 15.00 in the building of the Minsk executive committee Evgeny Klunok and Liliya Avhimovich, members of the team of Valery Levonevsky were held back and delivered to the Central DDIA of Minsk.

The protocol of the detention was not made. In DDIA "prisoners" were kept for some hours and were released approximately at 19.00 having not explained them what their fault was. The administrative protocol was also not made. The beginning was very simple: Evgeny and Liliya decided to have dinner in a restaurant of the regional executive committee. Having bought dinner, they found a foreign matter in the soup which was not mentioned in the menu � the cockroach. Being indignant that �the servants of the people� - officials of the executive committee are fed by cockroaches, they went to cabinets of the executive committee to distribute the open letter addressed to the officials of this executive committee. Having distributed successfully all 200 letters they were going to leave the building but they found out with surprise that they are already waited for by people both in the civilian and in the uniform. It appears that the executive committee is super secret and regime object.

The servants of the law order having explained nothing demanded to pass with them very quickly (otherwise you will be removed in the handcuffs). The terrible adventures were not finished, Liliya and Evgeny appeared already in the building of the Central DDIA. There they made sure that they are they (they call in Grodno).

The determined tell:

We were �invited� to the next cabinet. The reason of detention was not indicated. It was both laughter and sin. The small period of time passed. The man in the civilian uniform rushes and states: �I am from an administration� (it is interesting from what?)

- Answer my questions.

- Have I got the right to ring up?

- Yes, but first answer my questions.

- OK � Evgeny has already answered your questions. Is it is possible for him to ring up?

- No, I am not the chairman of DDIA especially talks are listened in this building.

- Then we are failed to answer any questions. The pleasant smile escapes somewhere and it changes with indignation. So, having achieved nothing, the man in the civilian uniform closes the door with rage.

When shall we be explained a reason of detention? This questions was asked to the sergeant who was in the same cabinet. The answer was naiv and simple: �Who have detained you will answer you�.

Approximately 2 hours passed but the answer was not heard. Soon we were �invited� to different cabinets.

Personally I was said that first of all they should let us explain everything and only then they will decide what we have broken. The request to ring up was refused again. We were also warned that according to the new legislation (if we shall keep silence and not to explain anything) they have the right to detain us for 30 days. We asked to show where it is written down. But they have not got the new legislation. We asked the employees of the militia to make up the protocols but all employees disappeared.

Paradox.

The time runs. And suddenly�

We are invited to pass downwards. You are free. Excuse us. It was said by one. And you see there were a lot of them. It is so simple. But what for were we detained, kept, frightened?

The help about the detention. What for? Whom will you show it?�.

Such the soup was. Guess, what for were we detained? It seems that the main reason was that we have refused to eat a soup with cockroaches.

We are preparing for the second congress of BTUB

As we have already informed we are preparing for the second congress of the Belorussian Trade union of the Businessmen (BTUB). The matter is that the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus put in a claim to the Trade union of the businessmen and on the basis of it does not register our trade union for more than half a year. We shall appeal to the court and simultaneously shall prepare the second congress of our trade union. One of the main requirements of the Ministry of Justice is a necessity to indicate numbers of the testimonies and necessity to grant the constituent documents in the printed form. I.e. the subscription sheets should be filled not by hand but should be printed. It is full delirium. But this delirium outgoes from the Ministry of Justice. The second congress of BTUB will pass in Minsk, second half of February. Representation at the congress is one representative from 50 men. It is necessary to prepare documents to 10.02.2001 (protocols of moving out and subscription sheets) taking into account the requirements of the Ministry of Justice.

# is not written down

1) Graph First name, name, patronymic completely

2) Graph "year of birth" - number, month and year of birth

3) Graph "Citizenship" � the Republic of Belarus (the abbreviation RB is not allowed) the serial and number of the passport is indicated, whom and when was issued by

The graph "The place of residence, # of the telephone� indicate city, street, number of the house and flat, the telephone number (if you have it)

4) The place of activity - number of the testimony of the businessman, when and whom it is given.

5) Personal subscript of a person indicated in the graph first name, name, patronymic.

The notice:

We ask you to fill in the lists in duplicate and to grade on groups - Businessmen fill in one sheet, people working on hiring - other.

We would like you to type the lists on the computer. Those who want to join the trade union independently write the application of an arbitrary example where all data mentioned below should be indicated addressed to the chairman of BTUB. The documents should be delivered to Leonid Kalitenya: Minsk, tel./fax 260-97-75, or to Grodno 230005, Grodno - 5 subscriber box 63. The forms can be booked on the phone or by mail. The form of the initiators is filled in on a sheet of the format A4.

Information on the tel./fax Minsk (017) 260-97-75, pager in Minsk 211-00-00 subscriber 88767, Grodno (0152) 31-30-62, pager in Grodno (0152) 73-00-00 subscriber 95200, Vitebsk 36-67-56, 25-82-43 Inna Frolova.

LIST of the initiators (founders) of the republican voluntary public organisation �Belorussian Trade union of the Businessmen�