SAMI and BELPROFMASH Signed a Tariff Agreement

On 2 June 2021, BELPROFMASH Belarusian Professional Union of Industrial Workers, the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Belarus, the Belarusian State Authority for Military Industry (SAMI) and BelAPP and Republican Association of Industrial Enterprises signed a Tariff Agreement! for 2021 – 2023.

The document protecting the workers’ constitutional rights was signed by SAMI Minister Dmitry Pantus and the head of BELPROFMASH Belarusian Professional Union of Industrial Workers Valery Kursevich. The purpose of the Agreement is to bring together the parties to achieve socio-economic stability and competitiveness of industry organisations, improve the living standards of workers, respect their legal rights and interests and create a comprehensive social protection system.

The number of trade union organisations at SAMI companies is increasing, and this convincingly testifies to the confidence of workers in the defence sector of the economy in the trade union movement. Today, 19 trade union organisations are actively working in SAMI system, more than 80% of its workers are members of the trade union. At seven SAMI companies over 92% of total number of employees is a part of trade union organisations.

In difficult economic conditions, the trade unions of the industry enterprises ensured strict observance of the principles of social partnership, which ultimately made it possible to increase the social protection of workers.

When signing the Agreement, SAMI leadership’s premise was that there could be no dynamically developing enterprise capable of producing competitive products where workers’ statutory rights were not protected. Naturally, high labour productivity is also out of the question in such an enterprise.

Understanding these truths enables the management of subordinate organisations and their trade unions to meet the challenges that labour collectives face.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of trade union organisations in protecting workers’ rights during the coronavirus pandemic. Intense multifaceted activity in this direction continues at the present time.

The signed Agreement serves as the basis for entering into bargaining agreements, as well as labour contracts with employees of industry organisations - members of BELPROFMASH trade union. Its provisions, included in collective bargaining agreements, cannot be changed to reduce diminish the social, legal and economic protection of employees. It is this legal position that is the fundamental condition for building social partnership in labour collectives. The trade union organisations of SAMI companies understand that they are about to solve an even greater volume of complex and demanding tasks.