Belaruskali

Belaruskali (Belarusian: Беларуськалій, Russian: Беларуськалий) is one of the largest state-owned companies of Belarus. It is one of the largest producers of potash fertilizers in the world, accounting for 20% global supply as of 2019.[1][2]

JSC Belaruskali
IndustryChemical
Founded1958
HeadquartersSalihorsk, Minsk Region, Belarus
Key people
Ivan Halavaty (Russian: Ivan Golovaty) (CEO)
ProductsPotash fertilizers
819,589,000 (2018) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
16,000
Websitewww.belaruskali.by

Belaruskali is the largest single taxpayer in Belarus[3] and an important source of foreign currency of the Belarusian government.[1] As of 2015, it accounted for 11% of tax revenues of Minsk Region.[4]

Most of Belaruskali's production is exported to China.[1][2]

History

The company was established in 1958 and comprises four production units, as well as auxiliary shops and service departments.[2] The Belarusian Potash Company is the main distributor of potash fertilizers produced by Belaruskali.[5][6]

Worker rights issues and political repressions

In 2020, four thousand workers of Belaruskali have declared a strike as part of mass peaceful nationwide protests that followed a controversial presidential election, demanding resignation of Alexander Lukashenko and new democratic elections.[7] There have been cases of miners cuffing themselves underground as part of the strike.[8]

According to reports, Belaruskali management threatened and put psychological pressure on the strikers.[9] Belaruskali paid extra bonuses to workers not participating in the strike.[10]

The Belarusian authorities arrested and imposed 15-day prison sentences on some of the striking workers at Belaruskali.[11][12] Four activists of the Belaruskali labour union - Siarhei Charkasau, Pavel Puchenia, Yury Korzun and Anatol Bokun - were arrested after the strike began. 49 Belaruskali workers were fired for participating in the strike, several had to flee from the country.[13][14]

The arrested activists were later released following an international solidarity campaign,[15] fired workers were reinstated following inquiries from Yara International, the largest trader of Belaruskali's products, regarding worker rights violations at Belaruskali.[16][17][10]

International sanctions

In 2020, Belaruskali became one of the centers of strikes after the presidential election and violence against protesters.[18] On November 19, Belaruskali fired 49 striking workers, purportedly for absenteeism.[19]

On 24 June 2021, the European Union has introduced restrictions on potash trade with Belarus as a reaction to "the escalation of serious human rights violations in Belarus and the violent repression of civil society, democratic opposition and journalists, as well as to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk on 23 May 2021 and the related detention of journalist Raman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega."[20]

On 9 August 2021, the United States have added Belaruskali to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List,[21] while United Kingdom and Canada have imposed restrictions on potash trade with Belarus.[22][23] In a statement by the U.S. Treasury, Belaruskali is described as "a major source of tax revenue and foreign currency for the Lukashenka regime".[21]

On 2 December 2021, Belaruskali was added to the sanctions list of the United Kingdom,[24] while the Belarusian Potash Company was added to the SDN List by the United States Department of the Treasury.[25]

In 2022, Canada, the EU and Switzerland imposed sanctions against Belaruskali, its CEO Ivan Golovaty, and the Belarusian Potash Company.[26][27][28] In January 2023, the enterprise was included in the sanctions list of Ukraine.[29]

References
  1. Мировые производители калия могут выиграть от снижения экспорта из Беларуси [World potash producers may benefit from decreasing exports from Belarus] - Fitch Ratings, 26 August 2020
  2. About company - Official website of Belaruskali
  3. Калий, нефть, «табачка», алкоголь. Какие отрасли реально «кормят» бюджет Archived 2021-03-03 at the Wayback Machine [Potash, oil, tobacco, alcohol. Which sectors really “feed” the state budget] - Tut.by, 28 May 2020
  4. ОАО «Беларуськалий» - лидер по налогам в Минской области Archived 2017-10-25 at the Wayback Machine [JSC Belaruskali is the tax leader of Minsk Region] - Lider-press, 25 March 2016
  5. Belarusian Potash Company official website - About Us
  6. О предприятии [About the company] - Belaruskali official website (in Russian)
  7. Шахтеры «Беларуськалия» обсудили забастовку на площади Archived 2020-08-21 at the Wayback Machine [Belaruskali miners discussed the strike at a town square] - Tut.by, 19 August 2020
  8. https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/69832/ Belarusian miner cuffs himself to express protest - Interfax, 10 September 2020
  9. «Угрожают увольнениями, но мы не сдадимся». Бастующие на «Беларуськалии» прекратили добычу руды Archived 2020-11-08 at the Wayback Machine ["They are threatening to fire us but we will not give up". Strikers at Belaruskali stopped mining of ore - Tut.by, 18 August 2020
  10. How the Strike at Belaruskali Changed the Situation at the Enterprise - Charter'97, 28 December 2020
  11. More Than 20 Detained At Belarusian Potash Mine For Backing Worker's Political Demands - Radio Free Europe, 21 September 2020
  12. Belarus: Govt. imposes prison sentences on striking workers at Belaruskali mining conglomerate - Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, 21 September 2020
  13. Belarusian labour activists pressured as political crisis drags on - openDemocracy, 26 August 2020
  14. "Беларуськалий" уволил почти 50 сотрудников за участие в стачках [Belaruskali fired almost 50 employees for participating in strikes] - Deutsche Welle, 20 November 2020
  15. International solidarity leads to release of jailed union leaders in Belarus - IndustriALL Global Union, 3 November 2020
  16. Belaruskali to reinstate fired workers after pressure from Yara - Reuters, 21 January 2021
  17. The Largest Importer of Potash Fertilizers Presented an Ultimatum to Belaruskali - Charter'97, 18 November 2020
  18. Алина Исаченко (2021-05-06). "Что происходит на предприятии «Беларуськалий» — основном поставщике валюты для Александра Лукашенко?" (in Russian). BBC News Russian. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  19. ""Беларуськалій» звольніў 49 страйкоўцаў за «прагулы"". Nasha Niva (in Belarusian). 2020-11-19. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  20. European Council official website, 24 June 2021
  21. "Treasury Holds the Belarusian Regime to Account on Anniversary of Fraudulent Election". United States Department of the Treasury. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  22. "US, Along With UK and Canada, Slaps More Sanctions on Belarus". Voice of America. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  23. "UK, US and Canada impose fresh sanctions on Belarus". Politico. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  24. "Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK" (PDF). Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation HM Treasury. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  25. "Belarus Designations; Publication of Belarus Directive 1 and related Frequently Asked Questions; Issuance of Belarus General License 5". United States Department of the Treasury. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  26. "Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations: SOR/2022-49". Canada Gazette. 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  27. "Official Journal L 153/2022". EUR-Lex. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  28. "Searching for subjects of sanctions". Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft.
  29. "Open Joint-Stock Company "Belaruskaliy"". National Agency for Prevention of Corruption.
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