At 7 am on Monday, January 17, several dozen people gathered at the gates of the Baltic Shipyard, outraged by the actions of their leadership. Even the day before, anticipating that not everything could go smoothly, the administration of the enterprise ordered to put up fences on the site in front of the entrance to the plant so that people could pass in a “brook” — such as the police use in the city on the days of rallies.
However, fortunately, neither a rally nor even noticeable unrest happened. Most of the employees passed by the watchmen without delay — they were either already included in the lists of vaccinated, or they presented QR codes. The workers, who were not allowed to enter the territory of the enterprise, called the police, but they chose not to intervene in the situation and only monitored the observance of order.
By Monday evening, when the next shift was going to the plant, the Novaya correspondent did not see a single protester. The same picture was the next morning, January 18th.
The press service of the Novaya Baltiysky Zavod reported that admission only by QR codes is a requirement of the chief sanitary doctor of the city and Rospotrebnadzor. On November 19, the general director of the plant signed an order that from January 17, access to the territory of the enterprise will be only for owners of a QR code or for those who have a medical certificate. The vaccination could be done, and can still be done right on the territory of the enterprise, by choosing «Sputnik» or «Sputnik Light».
The press service could not clarify the information on the number of employees who refused to be vaccinated.
“Back in December, the plant's employees filed an appeal with the prosecutor's office, from there it was sent to the labor inspectorate,” Igor Temchenko, a representative of the Interregional Trade Union Workers' Association, told Novaya Gazeta. — There is no answer yet. They also sent us a letter asking for a consultation. People asked about the legality of their exclusion from work, expressed their disagreement with the lack of a choice of vaccine. Our trade union adheres to the position that a person should have such a choice.
Everywhere they say that vaccination is voluntary, but such conditions are created that you have to get vaccinated — there is no other option.
As one worker said: “Either you get vaccinated, or you go to die of hunger, because you are not allowed to work.
At the checkpoint of the Baltic Plant. Photo: Artem Leshko/for Novaya Gazeta
The trade union is planning a meeting with factory workers next Saturday.
Veronika (name changed at the request of the respondent) has been working at Baltiysky Zavod for 4 months, she says that they began to warn workers about the introduction of requirements using QR codes in advance.
“We have been notified since October, QR codes have been collected since November and given two days off for vaccination. I got vaccinated in the summer: I was afraid for my loved ones, but I wanted to see them. For about a year, I refrained from meeting my parents, grandparents, in order to protect them, — says Veronika.
According to the woman, at the plant and on social networks, “there were rumors that everything was supposed to be bad in the morning, that there will be a rally and everyone will be late for work because of QR code checks.”
“As a result, all employees “snake” through the exposed fences and calmly entered the territory, and those who did not have a code were simply blocked with passes,” says Veronika, in whose department there are 13 people. One of them did not go to work yesterday due to the lack of a QR code.
— The woman has health problems, she often has allergies — she did not want to be vaccinated, and the doctors did not give her a medical exemption, — says Veronika.
“I saw that people were standing without vaccinations, they were indignant,” says Evgeny, an assembler of ship structures. — Why rally? Still adults. Everyone was warned two months in advance: “If you don’t get vaccinated, you won’t get to work.” There are about 100 people working in my shop. I looked during the day — everything is in place, they are working.
According to Evgeny, he himself has had a QR code for a long time: in December he already had a revaccination.
“It’s a serious matter: people get sick and die — you need to protect yourself,” says Evgeny about the pandemic. — The more new strains appear.
Evgeny's colleague, Valentin, has been working at the plant for 8 years as a welding equipment repairman. The man was vaccinated in December after being warned that he might not be allowed to work. Now Valentin hopes that «the vaccine will help not to get sick, and if you get sick, then in a mild form.»
“A person has the right to decide whether to be vaccinated or not,” says Valentin. — Therefore, I have a negative attitude to the fact that people are sent on unpaid leave. On the other hand, if you think about the plant globally, then they are a danger to others. There are more than 700 people in our workshop. Only 18 unvaccinated people did not come — this, in principle, did not affect the work.
Photo: Artem Leshko/for Novaya Gazeta
Andrey got a job as a gas welder at the Baltiysky Zavod a month ago. Before that, the man worked at the Izhora plant.
— I was vaccinated solely so that I would not be expelled from work. But I don’t believe in a pandemic.
I will not talk about the policy of our state, but definitely it and the economy are involved here. This is close to slavery. It seems that soon we will leave the house through the checkpoint.
According to Dmitry, a member of the initiative group of the Baltiysky Zavod overheard public on VK, many employees who were not allowed to work plan to go to court through a lawyer, and the prosecutor’s office replied that “this (suspension from work) is illegal on the one hand, with on the other hand, now the laws are too complex and changing, so they did not recommend going to court.”
Artem Leshko — especially for Novaya
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Varvara Chaikovskaya, head of the press service of the Baltic Shipyard:
— We are a plant — we build, cook, mode — it is impossible to do this remotely, and engineers and designers need a certain level of technology and computers to work. And among them just almost all took root.
Absence of people from work will not affect the functioning of the enterprise in any way: in fact, the situation concerns a small number of employees. The backbone of personnel we need to build nuclear icebreakers and ensure safety, including nuclear safety, has been vaccinated and is working.
We are ready for possible appeals to the prosecutor's office or court. But it is important to understand that our director is directly responsible for each employee, and he made a decision to protect the vaccinated workers. As a nuclear facility, we have a peculiarity: we have specialists who are not found anywhere else, for example, in the nuclear safety department, where they deal with all issues of reactor operation. We cannot risk these people. Therefore, first we must preserve the health of employees, and then think about those who fundamentally do not want to be vaccinated. After all, we accept a medical exemption, but the fundamental unwillingness to be vaccinated, associated with a personal position and fear of chipping, for example, sorry, I, as a representative of the plant, cannot accept. This is disrespectful to other employees. Nevertheless, we hope that the mood of the people will change in the near future, the issue of absenteeism of people from work will be resolved in the coming days or weeks.
At the checkpoint of the Baltic Plant . Photo: Artem Leshko/for Novaya Gazeta
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Dmitry, one of the moderators of the VKontakte community «Overheard Baltiysky Zavod»:
— Suspended people, in our opinion, up to 700 people. This is a huge number, but some of them were included in the list of suspended by mistake — they have already taken root, the issue is being resolved with the management. Some were on sick leave or on vacation, some people were sent on paid leave and they will either get vaccinated or just wait for spring, maybe herd immunity will be achieved at the plant. Of those who are directly vehemently opposed and ready to fight, in our opinion, there are 150 people, the active core is 10-50 people. They wrote to the prosecutor's office, to the court, and we think that in the form of some kind of compromise, the enterprise will meet them halfway.
All moderators of our group, and they are almost all BZ employees, are vaccinated. But at the same time, we have a different attitude towards the vaccine. Not everyone is convinced of its effectiveness. We believe that in order to correct people's attitudes towards the vaccine, three things must be done:
- At the enterprises, arrange for propaganda teams to visit, where specialists and doctors with documents, videos and examples will show how many die, how many are cured, how the vaccine helps here.
- Give two paid days off for vaccination so that people can definitely cope with the consequences.
- Pay for any consequences of vaccination (namely deaths or related diseases ).
Our group believes that those who do not want to be vaccinated are also citizens of this state and should not be left to die of hunger. The state should even guarantee them the minimum wage if they were dismissed without pay.