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EXCERPTS FROM THE NOTES OF THE
TELECONFERENCE
ON AGRICULTURE
HELD IN BELARUS
OF JULY 27, 2000.
(as in the notes, without editing)
A. Loukashenko – What is happening with social security
in the course of the harvesting campaign? Are you aware of the
situation?
A.Yaroshuk – Dear Mr. President. Distinguished
participants to the conference. The major concern for the
trade unions and agricultural workers that has been repeatedly
stressed here is the problem of wages. You know that there was
time when the wages debt was of a month fund amount, while now
as Vladimir Aleksandrovich said, it is about ten billion
Rubles. Nevertheless, I’d like to stress it as we used to
disagree with the administration on the issue, still this is a
stumbling block between us.
This issue tends to convert from a social and economic one
into a political issue.
A. Loukashenko – Wait. I never expected it from you.
There is only one politician in the country. Only one
politician. I have been telling it to all of you for years.
And this is President. He has not requested political
assistance and support. Trade unions are an apolitical
organization. Michail Vladimirivich, you are not a political
institution. Forget the word “politician”. You must
fulfill your functions related to wages, food supplies and
clothes. This is the main concern of trade unions. This is the
way it is done at the shop-floor level. As to the problem
becoming a political one, I am paying to it the same amount of
attention as to other issues. Trade unions cannot find a
solution to it. And should not. You have pronounced three
sentences. And I interrupted you, intentionally. Forgive me. I
have absolutely no grudges against you. Do not think that I am
trying to .....just for two phrases. You said you had a
stumbling block in your relations with the government or
administrations, and this is a political issue. Forget these
problems. Get dressed or undressed together with Ermoshin, or
others. As I am informed, Mr. Ermoshin is doing well, at a
high level, in accordance with a Presidential decree. The
sectoral trade unions must contact Minister of Agriculture. So
I share your concern about wages, and I would like to ask you
a question. This is what the governors were telling us about
payments, etc. And what are the trends now? This is what they
were saying about paying off, this is true. And what is the
trend?
A.Yaroshuk – This is indeed true. The debt has been cut
down. As I said, by 45 percent. Almost by half. And I wish the
problem could be monitored and controlled in order to avoid
its repetition in the future.
A. Loukashenko - You are not President. Only I may say “I
wish...”. But you will work on it with the Minister. I wish
we could avoid it. I wish A.Yaroshuk and Vadim Aleksandrovich
won’t let it happen. Do not shift focuses. So, it means that
you share the governors’ optimism and believe that by mid
September we will pay debts for the previous month.
A.Yaroshuk – It is quite realistic because we are
starting to get output, we have sources for financial
settlements, including paying off wages.
A. Loukashenko – Well. You know the local situation. As
before, shop-floor level trade union leaders are involved into
social matters at the harvesting or sowing time. As it has
always been in the country. Or we are no longer doing it?
A.Yaroshuk – Aleksander Grigirievich. Nothing has changed.
Certain events may happen here, but it does not mean that the
pace of work slows down. The harvesting campaign means...
there is no need to use sixty-four cent words here, as the
participants are drivers or they got involved into the
campaign in other capacity including trade union committee
chairs. They are not full-time officials, they are indeed
sharing the concern.
A. Loukashenko – You mean that our trade union leaders
are as close to the toiling masses as before?
A.Yaroshuk – There has never been any other problem.
A. Loukashenko – Tell me. Have you or your staff , or
trade union leaders visited the fields? What is your
impression of this stage in the harvesting campaign?
A.Yaroshuk - I’d like to stress that despite all problems
related to preparing the machinery or fuel and lubricants, the
people are enthusiastic. They work hard and eat well. No
exaggerations. I would say that this year we managed to avoid
unexpected things that happened before. Generally, and it is
well sensed, all participants of the harvesting conveyer would
like to gather the crop on time.
A. Loukashenko. – I see. And the last question. Do you,
as a trade union leader, really feel pressure on the side of
some official?
A. Yaroshuk – I have a potential that is enough to repel
any pressure.
A. Loukashenko – What is the matter, then?
V.Yaroshuk – I do not know.
A. Loukashenko – No problems?
V.Yaroshuk – Personally, I avoid conflicts. And never
create conflicts. Well, if somebody would like to heat the
situation...
A. Loukashenko – Then, what is the buzz in the media? Mr.
Goncharik recently kept repeating “pressure, pressure,
pressure”. What is happening?
A.Yaroshuk - Aleksander Grigirievich, I believe that you
are fully aware of what was happening. We do not need now a
detailed analysis. It did happen. And would like to make a
statement. When I was asked, Aleksander Grigorievich, I was
present at the Congress, making the final statement, and I
said: “there can be no winners or losers in the country”,
while having an argument inside the country they bring harm to
the country, to society. This is the prerequisite. And I know
no other lexicon, rather than to work further after any
argument. I stress it once again. We all know what was
happening. And I think that there is no use to speak more on
the issue. What was written - was absolutely true.
A. Loukashenko - All right, Aleksander Illich. Let us agree,
that you will act in this respect as my plenipotentiary
representative in the country in the hard time of a harvesting
campaign. I ask you, although I can demand it, to inform me of
implementing our social agreements reached at this conference.
If you find anything going wrong, do interfere. This is you
major target and your policy.
A.Yaroshuk – Aleksandr Grigorievich, This is written in
our Constitution. To defend the interests....
A. Loukashenko - Even if is written in, carry it out and
inform me on the implementation. This is first. Secondly, do
not interfere into any arguments or squabbles. You have been
legally elected, so do not be scared. I think, I already
briefed you via somebody else when I first heard the rumors.
This is first. Secondly, scandals is a means to become a
politician. You do need scandals. I understand, Goncharik is
screaming that they killed Yaroshuk… We have all been beaten
hard at the election. Those who survived will live on. Nothing
to be scared about. But do not play into anybody’s hand.
Those who are 60 or 62, do not need to work for trade unions.
We must open the way to the young as Yaroshuk and the like. Do
not look there.
A.Yaroshuk - I am not looking anywhere.
A. Loukashenko - Thank you, Aleksander Illich. Please, take
your seat, and remember I will always support you.
A. Loukashenko - If we had bread, the Parliamentary
election will be recognized, and we will manage through the
Presidential election. If we had no bread, there will nothing
to buy in a shop. Luckily, now we have got something to buy,
and the money to pay for it. And we often do not buy meat or
milk from the peasants, even when we can. Now we have plenty
of berries, people are picking up mushrooms, apples are
ripening in the gardens. If we fail to buy it all from them,
what reforms shall we speak about. We will give each peasant
an additional plot of land. But they won’t take it. I have
information from my birthplace, from the local Council. Let Mr.
Drazhin listen. I will put it all to order. And the objective
of any agricultural reform is to motivate a peasant to have
more cattle and to cultivate more land. If you fail to buy six
kilos of milk from each cow, there is no motivation to take
more land and cows and produce six liters of milk. In case
they had three cows, it means already 18 liters. It is two
buckets they will have to carry. That‘s the reform.
And you say, Goncharik will speak on TV swallowing his
tears, I beg your pardon, speaking about sort of distorted
agricultural relations. Chatterboxes. They have it written in
the Constitution, as it were. They (the Trade Union) have
learnt how to steal, they have established banks and now are
profiteering. … And they are squeezing out tears here. You
see, he is 62 and clutching his chair firmly. A great
statesman! During any political campaign they shout together:
“They are wiping us out!”. Who are they? Who needs them?
They have been forgotten long ago. But for the membership dues
collected by the managers, they could have died out. And the
managers are still deducting the dues through the
accountant’s offices, feeding these trade union bosses, or
whatever the press calls them correctly.
Incidentally, Michail Vladimirovich and Aleksander
Andreevich, those trade unionist who work at the shop-floor
level, those who work hard together with peasants and
tractor-drivers, are our true supporters to the marrow of
their bones. I remember it well myself. They feed and dress
the workers. They have no idea of Mr. Goncharik, have no
relations with him. We need to support such people. We cannot
treat them badly. They are our reserve. Why should we put them
in opposition? Yaroshuk would like to work closely with the
Minister of Agriculture. They asked me to sigh the Decree. I
did. Let him work. If Goncharik would like to work with the
Government, and come to Aleksander Andreevich to discuss a
solution, let him do it. What’s the buzz? Great statesmen!
Every time in case of a minor scratch during an election
campaign they go to America. To the AFL- FTF or whatever it is
called. Help us, they have strangled us. They have tormented
us. I believe that the respective Procurator’s office will
probably ask for facts. Give us the factual evidence. If an
official exerts pressure, Oleg Aleksandrovich, he must be
punished. If, however, somebody is blackmailing the powers -
he must bear full responsibility. But he drops some words here,
then goes to America and tells them stories. And they have
withdrawn our preferences. For a million dollars. Okay. What
may be the consequences of the stories told in the West? This
means that tomorrow nobody will buy our tractors and they
understand this perfectly well.
You have at least tell everybody about them. Make it public.
Give the facts to Yakubovich or Chikin. Tell about their banks
and their cash they are tricking with. Tell it to the people
and they will make the conclusions. They will amend their
Constitutions promptly. But mind, every citizen will have to
bear full responsibility in accordance with the National
Constitution I have no claims to Aleksander Yaroshuk. On the
contrary, I respected him much when he was in touch with
President. When he fell out of touch, sometime during the
election he got a kick. But this is election. You are ready to
be elected. It is not as in old Soviet times everyone passed
automatically. Be stronger and firmer. But I ask civil
servants: do not put pressure upon these men.
They will be under due control of workers and peasants.
There a lot of those who would like to protect in words. But
as to take a penny from a bank... Petr Petrovich, cast a look
at that, Trade Union Bank, or whatever. PROFBANK? Check, how
much has been allocated to the harvesting campaign, or to the
working clothes. And report back, Michail Vladimirovich.
A voice from the audience: The bank has been closed down.
A.Loukashenko - Closed down? Where the money is hidden then?
No money left? How come? We know these games pretty well. We
need to check all cash-flows. We are not kids and understand
the situation well. So, instead of giving protection to the
people and helping them to buy a pair of boots, they start
pulling our legs. Don’t touch them. Don’t make heroes out
of them. Let them go to the peasants and explain why they
failed to provide working clothes and hot meals in time. You
see, President by the Constitution must deliver hot meals to
the people, while some trade union do not bother. Let our
shop-floor organizations do it. They are our people,
Aleksander Illich, and we must support them. Right is Yaroshuk
telling that their chairpersons do not work full time, and the
only gain they have is another headache. This is a delicate
matter. I touched it upon publicly because I feel that our
nationalists are about to use it at the international level
and to create another problem for the country. We will make
them responsible to the full. But as to protection, do protect.
Although our people do not see the protection.
I address the trade unions at the enterprise level to go on
working as before. I hope they will understand me correctly.
Wages. Debts. Secondly, meals and clothes for harvesters. For
major categories of workers we have always been able to find a
solution and we must find it. Shops, prices, including bread
prices...
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