No "free wages" in Belarus, president warns enterprises

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has reaffirmed that there will be no “free wages” in the country, emphasizing the need to align employee remuneration with real productivity. He made the remarks during a visit to Planar JSC, an advanced industrial enterprise, BELTA reports.

Lukashenko assured that the state would continue to support high-performing industries, citing Planar as an example of productive investment.

"We invested money to create this, and we will continue to do so. But we see that in just two or three years—you can easily return these funds and produce a high value-added product with profit," he explained.

According to the president, enterprises that reach this level of efficiency can deliver both strong financial results and competitive wages for employees, who, he noted, are willing to work multiple shifts and weekends.

"And I haven’t heard anyone at Planar complain on TikTok that they are being forced to work. This is a great thing," Lukashenko said. "But money is always limited. And you probably want more as well. That’s good—it means you’ll strive to earn more."

He issued a pointed warning: "Know this: there will be no ‘free wages’ in Belarus." Lukashenko added that this principle now applies uniformly to all enterprises and organizations in the country.

A recent example, he noted, occurred in the Vitebsk region, where a presidential meeting saw some participants expecting state support.

"There is no extra money. And if there is, it’s only for the purpose of doing the work," Lukashenko said, underscoring the government’s principled approach to wage policy and state support.

By Vafa Guliyeva