'10% of employees need to get together' to launch trade union

"There must be a trade union in each enterprise," Alyaksandr Lukashenka instructs the government at the Trade Union Federation Congress. The Head of State demands that the trade unions are in all enterprises of any form of ownership. Euroradio tried to establish an independent trade union.

It was not difficult: you have to write a charter, hold a constituent assembly, elect the head, register a legal address.

"No less than 10% of employees should get together," said Alena Yaskova, lawyer of the Assembly of Independent Trade Unions. "You need to collect the necessary documents: charter, minutes of the Congress, the election of the governing body, legal address of the management, office leasing agreement. Then it's all filed for registration."

In fact, the room can be rented in the editorial office. Trade Unions like that are registered by the Chief Justice Directorate of the local governing bodies. The Republican union, which must be have more than five hundred persons, is registered by the Ministry of Justice.

How to join a trade union, create a "primary" organization

Since we are too lazy to draft the charter and register the legal address, we take the next step. We join another union that already exists. The Federation of Trade Unions decided that journalists should join the pro-government trade union of employees of culture and sent us there. There, we are immediately offered help.

"You need to hold an organizational meeting of at least 3 people. You need to have all the necessary documents and decide on the establishment of the primary trade union organization, we are told at the culture emplyees'trade union. We will help you arrange all the documents for registration."

If your "primary" organization has more than 15 people, is an independent legal entity with its own bank account. A monthly fee is 1% of salary. Of the bonuses, this union promises extra money for holidays. The rest is written in the collective agreement.

If the pro-government trade union is not for us, we can join the Belarusian Independent Trade Union. Its Charter allows to accept any employees, even journalists, except the administration.

The scheme is the same: meeting, minutes of the meeting, the registration with the trade union. And the fees are the same as in the State one - 1% of the monthly salary. They promised us legal support in difficult situations and the collective agreement at the workplace which has the salary and vacation period.

"There is a collective agreement, where working conditions are put out. And not in the way that the law prescribed, but much more," Belarus independent trade union staff described the bonuses.

But they also warned us that today the members of the independent trade union "can be persecuted."

Photo: bnp.by