Фото: president.gov.by
Aliaksandr Lukashenka has advised labour migrants seeking high salaries to go to Russia, saying that the wages of foreign workers in Belarus will depend on the volume of goods they produce.
According to Lukashenka, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev had asked him primarily not to provide jobs for Uzbek citizens, but to supply milk and meat.
“They do not have enough land, and they lack water. We have plenty of both land and water. We can produce meat and milk,” Lukashenka said during a government conference call on 21 July.
He explained that the wages of Uzbek workers would be determined by the sale of the goods they produce in Uzbekistan.
“If your people work within this system of ours, everything will be under control, and we will employ them in Belarus as if they were our own people. The goal is not simply to earn money and receive a good salary, but to produce meat and milk. Once the meat and milk are produced, we will sell them on their markets. That is where the wages come from.
They will come here to produce meat, milk and other agricultural products and send them back to their homeland. The higher their productivity and the more goods they produce, the higher their wages will be. They can then use that money however they wish,” Lukashenka said.
He added that anyone wishing to earn several thousand dollars should instead go to Russia.
“There they can find work in the oil industry or in other sectors and earn very high salaries,” Lukashenka said.
He also stressed what he described as the advantages of working in Belarus, namely access to healthcare and education.
“As for healthcare and education, they will have the same rights as Belarusians. That also comes at a cost, and it is a considerable one,” he said.
Lukashenka also told local officials not to hire migrant workers if they did not need them.
“If you do not need people from outside, then do not hire them. I am not forcing you to do so,” he said.
Last week, more than 200 labour migrants from Uzbekistan arrived in Vitsyebsk. They had reportedly been promised salaries of $900–1,000 per month, but upon arrival were told they would receive only $500 and would have to pay for their own accommodation and meals. This prompted complaints from the workers, some of whom said they wanted to return home.
The dispute was subsequently resolved. According to the Uzbek workers, they were offered salaries of around $700, along with free accommodation and meals.