Loss of union autonomy in Belarus

[Chris Doss]

I don't know anything, but I'd be surprised to find out Belarus ever HAD a 
free trade union. I was under the impression that the unions were still 
basically organized Soviet-fashion and dealt mainly with things like doling 
out vacation packages (anyway, workers in Belarus are a hell of a lot better 
of than they are anywhere else in the CIS). It also sounds like kind of a 
wierd thing for Lukashenko to do, since his support base _is_ the lower 
classes, who get considerable state subsidy in the form of cheap energy and 
state-created jobs.

John Mage would probably know considerably more.


>From: "Brian O. Sheppard x349393" <bsheppard at bari.iww.org>
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
>Subject: Loss of union autonomy in Belarus
>Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 10:06:33 -0700 (PDT)
>
>
>This from Labour Start:
>
>
>DEFEAT IN BELARUS
>
>Unfortunately, last week we also reported that despite our best efforts to
>mobilize worldwide support for the independent trade unions of Belarus,
>the country's dictatorial boss, Aleksander Lukashenko, managed to wrest
>control of one of the last free trade unions.  The full details of that
>defeat are here:
>
>http://www.iuf.org.uk/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=default&uid=default&ID=470&view_records=1&ww=1&en=1
>
>
>Any knowledge of this, Chris or anyone?
>
>Brian
>
>
>---
>
>"And Mr. Block thinks he may / Be President some day." - Joe Hill, "Mr.
>Block"

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