Фото: Офис Тихановской
The state must protect the right to work, not turn it into a tool of control, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said in an address marking Labour Day, observed on May 1. According to her, work in Belarus today is associated with fear, and a person should not have to choose between bread and conscience.
“Work in Belarus too often goes hand in hand with fear. Fear of contract dependence, dismissal for one’s views, punishment for a signature, a comment or a donation to charity. But a person should not have to choose between bread and conscience. Work should not make a person obedient — it should provide confidence in the future.
The state must protect the right to work, not turn it into a tool of control. Labour rights begin where there are trade unions that truly defend people, rather than sign whatever is handed down from above. The regime has destroyed them so that people are left with neither choice nor a voice. But without a worker’s voice, there is no respect for labour.
With the same ease, the regime also takes away freedom. Our political prisoners are workers, doctors, journalists, entrepreneurs and students. Many of them are forced to work in detention: under supervision, punished for any “disobedience”, with quotas that must be met even when there is neither strength nor health. We must remember them and support their families.
Belarusians often carry out daily work that goes unnoticed. Parents raise children. Volunteers care for the elderly and the sick. Activists help former political prisoners. And every skill acquired in forced emigration, every new job, every preserved business is a contribution to our return home and the rebuilding of our country.
The strength, diligence and dignity of our people are the true face of Belarus”, the address said.