President Alyaksandr Lukashenka of Belarus, dubbed Europe’s last dictator, has issued a presidential decree that proposes forbidding workers from quitting their jobs and threatens those that leave with compulsory labour.
Alexander Lukashenko has ruled the European nation and former Soviet republic of Belarus with an iron fist since 1994. Ranked at 141 in last year’s world ranking of quality of life, many workers prefer to flee to neighbouring Russia. Now Lukashenko has announced a measure that could force Belarusians to remain in the country as forced labour.
RFERL reported that in order to stem the exodus of workers from the country’s wood-processing industry, Lukashenko issued a presidential decree on Dec. 7. The President announced:
“A decree is being prepared that says that until the end of the planned modernization and reconstruction of [wood-processing] enterprises [in 2015], workers are forbidden from quitting their jobs. Workers cannot quit their jobs without the agreement and permission of the management of the enterprise.”
“You will be sentenced to compulsory labor and sent back here if you leave” Lukashenko warned workers at the Borisovdrev wood-processing plant in Borisov, the Moscow Times reported. The Borisovdrev plant is 100 percent state owned.
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via Belarus: Europe’s last dictator threatens forced labour.
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