Entrepreneurs Protest, Nobody Listens

1000 of individual entrepreneurs took part in a meeting held in Park of Peoples’ Friendship in Minsk on November 19th .

The action, permitted by the city authorities, was organized by the civil association “Perspektyva”. Besides the entrepreneurs, who have their business in Minsk, dwellers of Brest, Mahiliou, Vitebsk, Homel, Hrodna, Slonim and other cities took part in the event.

Opening the meeting, Anatol Shumchanka, head of the Perspektyva, said the main problem for the entrepreneurs was decree #760б BelaPAN reports.  Item 1.1 of the decree allows individual entrepreneurs to employ only close relatives.

“We have chosen a civilized way, we sent letters to the legislative bodies asking to initiate the consideration of the decree in the Constitutional Court. After that we wrote letters to prime minister Sidorski and the Supreme Court, be they rejected our requests,” A. Shumchanka said.

According to the head of “Perspektiva”, only 3-5 per cent out of more than 200, 000 entrepreneurs re-registered as private unitary enterprises. “It means the government has failed. Someone of the officials are be responsible for any failure. They don’t hear us or don’t want to hear,” A. Shumchanka said.

The meeting participants had posters with slogans “Demand law on polygamy”, “Looking for husband. Advantage to those who have many children after 18”, “Help wanted. Adoption guaranteed”, “No relatives. Stall for sale” as well as banners with Lukashenka’s quotations: “Not to worsen the labor conditions for individual entrepreneurs and create stable fiscal conditions for development of small business in the Republic of Belarus”, “Both entrepreneurs and their employees shouldn’t suffer.”

The meeting of entrepreneurs was watched by representatives of Minsk authorities and police.