A new appeal by an Uzbek citizen asking for an earlier video containing complaints about working conditions in Belarus to be deleted has appeared online. The new video was published by the Migrantlar 24 | Musofirlar Telegram channel.
In the one-minute video, the man asks for the recording that circulated on social media to be deleted. He said it had been sent to a closed “Uzbekistan-Belarus” group for workers who had arrived in the country to describe their conditions and learn about those of others, but was then circulated on social media without his knowledge.
“Assalamu alaikum, dear citizens! Please delete this video as soon as possible. I don’t know, you may have misinterpreted it. The video was filmed on the first day, when we had just arrived at our new job. The work is different now. They are now providing us with work and jobs”, he said.
“At the time, I sent that video to a group in Uzbekistan. There was a group called ‘Uzbekistan-Belarus’ for those who came here. I sent it there to show that this is your situation and this is our situation, and to ask how things were going. But someone took it and circulated it across all social media. Please don’t do that”, the author of the video said.
The man said the current offer was a salary of $700, free accommodation and free food, and that the workers were already undergoing medical examinations before starting work.
Video: t.me/migrantlar24
As a reminder, 255 Uzbek citizens arrived in Vitsyebsk on July 13 for employment in Belarus. They were reportedly promised salaries of $900-$1,000, but upon arrival it emerged that employers were prepared to pay only $500, while workers would have to cover accommodation and food costs themselves. This caused outrage among the arrivals, some of whom said they wanted to return home.
Today, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on the implementation of agreements to expand interregional cooperation with Belarus reached during his visit to the country. Particular attention was paid to the employment of Uzbek citizens. Mirziyoyev stressed the importance of implementing within a short period the agreements reached during his visit to Belarus on July 8-9.
The Uzbek authorities propose drawing up lists of citizens and entrepreneurs for work in Belarus and sending them to the country in an organised manner, “having agreed in advance and resolved with the Belarusian side issues concerning jobs, living conditions, and the allocation of premises and land plots required for the project”.
