Belaruskali

JSC Belaruskali
IndustryChemical
Founded1958
HeadquartersSalihorsk, Minsk Region, Belarus
Key people
Ivan Halavaty (Russian: Ivan Golovaty) (CEO)
ProductsPotash fertilizers
RevenueBr 4.797 billion (2019)[1]
819,589,000 (2018) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
16,000
Websitewww.belaruskali.by

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.[2][3]

Belaruskali is the largest single taxpayer in Belarus[4] and an important source of foreign currency of the Belarusian government.[2] As of 2015, it accounted for 11% of tax revenues of Minsk Region.[5]

Most of Belaruskali's production is exported to China.[2][3]

History

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The company was established in 1958 and comprises four production units, as well as auxiliary shops and service departments.[3] The Belarusian Potash Company is the main distributor of potash fertilizers produced by Belaruskali.[6][7]

Worker rights issues and political repressions

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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.[8] There have been cases of miners cuffing themselves underground as part of the strike.[9]

According to reports, Belaruskali management threatened and put psychological pressure on the strikers.[10] Belaruskali paid extra bonuses to workers not participating in the strike.[11]

The Belarusian authorities arrested and imposed 15-day prison sentences on some of the striking workers at Belaruskali.[12][13] 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.[14][15]

The arrested activists were later released following an international solidarity campaign,[16] fired workers were reinstated following inquiries from Yara International, the largest trader of Belaruskali's products, regarding worker rights violations at Belaruskali.[17][18][11]

International sanctions

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In 2020, Belaruskali became one of the centers of strikes after the presidential election and violence against protesters.[19] On November 19, Belaruskali fired 49 striking workers, purportedly for absenteeism.[20]

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."[21]

On 9 August 2021, the United States have added Belaruskali to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List,[22] while United Kingdom and Canada have imposed restrictions on potash trade with Belarus.[23][24] 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".[22]

On 2 December 2021, Belaruskali was added to the sanctions list of the United Kingdom,[25] while the Belarusian Potash Company was added to the SDN List by the United States Department of the Treasury.[26]

In 2022, Canada, the EU and Switzerland imposed sanctions against Belaruskali, its CEO Ivan Golovaty, and the Belarusian Potash Company.[27][28][29] In January 2023, the enterprise was included in the sanctions list of Ukraine.[30] In September 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union refused to lift the EU sanctions against Golovaty, Belaruskali and the Belarusian Potash Company.[31]

In August 2024, an investigation was published by the Belarusian Investigative Center, Belsat, the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty, Cyber Partisans and OCCRP, according to which a company registered in Cyprus and associated with Viktor Sheiman’s circle was used to circumvent sanctions against Belaruskali.[32]

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ "Информационный меморандум" (PDF). gki.gov.by.
  2. ^ a b c 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
  3. ^ a b c About company - Official website of Belaruskali
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Belarusian Potash Company official website - About Us
  7. ^ О предприятии [About the company] - Belaruskali official website (in Russian)
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/69832/ Belarusian miner cuffs himself to express protest - Interfax, 10 September 2020
  10. ^ «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
  11. ^ a b How the Strike at Belaruskali Changed the Situation at the Enterprise - Charter'97, 28 December 2020
  12. ^ More Than 20 Detained At Belarusian Potash Mine For Backing Worker's Political Demands - Radio Free Europe, 21 September 2020
  13. ^ Belarus: Govt. imposes prison sentences on striking workers at Belaruskali mining conglomerate - Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, 21 September 2020
  14. ^ Belarusian labour activists pressured as political crisis drags on - openDemocracy, 26 August 2020
  15. ^ "Беларуськалий" уволил почти 50 сотрудников за участие в стачках [Belaruskali fired almost 50 employees for participating in strikes] - Deutsche Welle, 20 November 2020
  16. ^ International solidarity leads to release of jailed union leaders in Belarus - IndustriALL Global Union, 3 November 2020
  17. ^ Belaruskali to reinstate fired workers after pressure from Yara - Reuters, 21 January 2021
  18. ^ The Largest Importer of Potash Fertilizers Presented an Ultimatum to Belaruskali - Charter'97, 18 November 2020
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ ""Беларуськалій» звольніў 49 страйкоўцаў за «прагулы"". Nasha Niva (in Belarusian). 2020-11-19. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  21. ^ European Council official website, 24 June 2021
  22. ^ a b "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.
  23. ^ "US, Along With UK and Canada, Slaps More Sanctions on Belarus". Voice of America. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  24. ^ "UK, US and Canada impose fresh sanctions on Belarus". Politico. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  25. ^ "Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK" (PDF). Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation HM Treasury. Retrieved 2021-12-14.
  26. ^ "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.
  27. ^ "Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Belarus) Regulations: SOR/2022-49". Canada Gazette. 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  28. ^ "Official Journal L 153/2022". EUR-Lex. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  29. ^ "Searching for subjects of sanctions". Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft.
  30. ^ "Open Joint-Stock Company "Belaruskaliy"". National Agency for Prevention of Corruption.
  31. ^ "EU court upholds sanctions against Belaruskali, its CEO and BPC". European Radio for Belarus. September 19, 2024.
  32. ^ "A Murky Cypriot Firm Is Helping Belarus Export Potash — In Breach of EU Sanctions". Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. August 8, 2024.
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