The end of 2024 saw a new wave of dismissals at the potash fertilizer giant Belaruskali related to the events of 2020. According to former employees, dozens of workers were dismissed under pressure. The economic crisis and political uncertainty were key factors behind the layoffs, maintain our sources.
Ihor, a former Belaruskali worker, told “The Mirror” that in late December 2024 and early January 2025 several dozens of the company’s Production Unit 4 workers were dismissed. The man claims the dismissals were carried out under pressure.
“Every day, during the working hours, four-five workers would be summoned by the administration “for talk” after which they would be laid off, using the “one day” procedure”, says Ihor. “If any of them refuses to sign the documents, the management calls in security officers and the man would be taken off the premises in handcuffs.”
This information is confirmed by another Belaruskali ex-worker who was dismissed in 2020. According to Dmitry, the wave of dismissals rolled on beyond the Production Unit 4, spreading to other structural units of the company.
“They go back to laying people off for things they did in 2020, like taking part in protest actions, posting comments in social media, monitoring the elections. According to information I have, “shoulder loops” are back on the premises”, asserts Dmitry.
Ihar links the new wave of dismissals with the advent of the new CEO Andrei Rybakau, appointed by Lukashenka in November 2024. “Dismissals for political activism happened before but now they are executed with particular harshness. Evidently, Rybakau has decided to show his mettle and set out to purge the workforce. They’ve dug up the old lists of workers subscribing to the 2020 call for strike. Officially, the labour contract are now terminated by mutual consent and if you disagree, they threaten to bring in law enforcement guys”, explains Ihar.
Against this backdrop of new dismissals, an alternative opinion was voiced by one of the company workers who confirms that the dismissals do follow political lists composed with the involvement of KGB officers, although the real reason is an economic one:
“The looming redundancies became evident as early as 2020, particularly after Lithuania refused to transport our potash. If Belaruskali reports are to be believed, in 2024, the Production Unit 4 packed and shipped 1 million tons of potash. Supposing the other three Production Units showed similar figures, with another half-a-million tons added by Petrikau, the overall volume would stand at 4.5 to 5 million tons. This result is catastrophically low, dwarfed by the 12.5 to 13 million tons we produced before 2020.”
According to him, redundancies already started under the previous CEO:
“Halavaty also cut jobs but he did it in a more circumspect manner: he would let pensioners go and take their jobs off the list without hiring new workers. While Rybakau does it the butcher’s way.”
Belaruskali is under the EU and USA sanctions. Violations of workers’ rights were the reason the Norwegian company Yara stopped purchasing Belaruskali produce as far back as 2022. According to experts, the future of Belaruskali remains uncertain.
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