BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

20/12/2007

Belarus Market Vendors Strike In Major Cities

Anatol Shumchanka, leader of the Perspektyva small-business association, said on December 19 that nearly 80,000 market vendors took part in a one-day strike against a presidential decree restricting the activities of small businesses, Belapan reported. Under the decree, starting from January 1, 2008, certain small-business owners will be barred from hiring employees other than three family members. Shumchanka said most vendors took part in the protest in the country's regional capitals, apart from Vitsyebsk, where Shumchanka attributed the small number of protesters with a lack of agreement among activists. The Belarusian government offered to allow entrepreneurs who are affected by the decree to re-register as "private unitary enterprises," but vendors argued that operating as such an entity would mean higher taxes, among other things. An unregistered organization called For The Free Development of Enterprise intends to call a nationwide strike on January 1. AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/12/3-cee/cee-201207.asp