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Belarusian trade unions urged to take more active part in price monitoring

MINSK, 2 May (BelTA) – The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus should take a more active part in price monitoring in the country, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FTUB) Mikhail Orda, BelTA has learned.

The president noted that pricing remains the number one issue for people, and therefore should be in the center of attention of trade unions. “You defend the interests, first of all, [and this is how you position yourselves] of workers, our people. People are very concerned over prices. We are not that rich to buy products at crazy prices, especially those manufactured in the country: food, clothing, and other goods,” he said.

It is a particularly important issue for vulnerable population groups such as veterans, pensioners. “They do not care about foreign brands and prefer to wear and eat the things that are produced in Belarus. How much these things cost depend, in many things, on us,” the president noted.

The head of state recalled that he had already spoken out about the need to monitor pricing on the part of the FTUB and wondered about the progress in this work. “I asked to create a clear system and monitor prices in Belarus. What is the progress here? Why do people constantly draw our attention to this issue in any sociological survey? This issue is among the priority ones,” Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus has been monitoring prices on a monthly basis across 98 product groups since May 2017. Monitoring is conducted in all parts of the country and covers 274 convenience stores, large retail networks, privately-held and state-owned retail facilities. The FTUB reports to the government and the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade on a quarterly basis.

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