12 September 2002
Brest's small vendors join national walkout
Individual entrepreneurs who sell consumer goods at outdoor markets in Brest did not open their stalls on Wednesday, joining a nationwide one-day walkout organized by the strike committee led by Valery Levonevsky.
Unlike the newly established United Council of Entrepreneurs, which staged a national strike from September 1 to 6, the strike committee puts forward political demands in addition to economic ones. The
Levonevsky-led vendors suggest that Aleksandr Lukashenko and other government officials should resign, accusing them of attempts to ruin small businesses. Brest's major marketplaces were deserted on September 11. Notices posted there in previous days had announced that traders would not work. However, some vendors did not join the strike and offered their merchandise at prices higher than usual, trying to benefit from the absence of competitors.
Brest's vendors did not participate in the September 1-6 strike, as an agreement was reached with the city government that their demands would be discussed at a round-table conference. However, the conference, which was held on September 9, did not yield any substantial results.
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