And Who Will Stand Up For The Belarusians?

• 16.07.2026, 13:41

Some conclusions from the workers' revolt in Uzbekistan.

The workers from Uzbekistan who arrived in Belarus a few days ago appear to be getting decent working conditions and a pay raise. Moreover, the situation surrounding them is developing rapidly, according to planbmedia.io.

That’s Not What We Agreed On

The Migration Agency reported on July 13 about the first charter flight carrying Uzbek citizens who arrived in the Vitebsk region to work. On July 15, the workers filmed a video stating that they were dissatisfied with the low wages ($500, with housing and meals at their own expense). They said they could earn just as much back home. They had been promised $1,000 each.

Belarusian propagandists tried to put the dissatisfied workers in their place with their usual tactics. “Information regarding the employers’ available job openings, working and living conditions, wages (gross and net), etc., was, of course, provided in advance,” stated Grigory Azarenok. “Pay, I repeat, was also agreed upon in advance. They were offered at least $500 in hand, after all deductions. “It’s clear that it’s possible to earn more; it all depends on the worker himself.”

But it seems there are those willing to stand up for the Uzbeks. On the same day, Uzbek media published a statement from the Agency for External Migration. The spokesperson for the Agency for Migration Gulrukh Tulaeva stated that representatives of the agency and the Andijan Regional Administration are already working on the ground together with employers to resolve the situation, according to the daryo.uz portal.

The agency emphasized that if an employer refuses to pay the wages stipulated in the employment contract or violates other terms, the workers will be transferred to another employer. Furthermore, they promised to resolve the issue by the end of the day.

According to the agency, the employment contracts stipulate an average monthly salary of $900–1,000, with a maximum of $1,200.

As a result, that same evening the workers recorded a new video stating that the issues had been resolved. Azaronenok stated that the location shown in the first video—where the Uzbek workers were staying—was a temporary shelter where some of them had spent just one night. Now they are living in a different place, where “everything is clean, beautiful, and well-maintained.”

Investments and 5,000 workers

The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, also weighed in. On July 15, he “reviewed a presentation on the implementation of agreements to expand interregional cooperation reached during his visit to Belarus.”

And these agreements are significant: they involve the implementation of 310 joint projects and initiatives with a total value of $2 billion in the fields of mechanical engineering, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, the textile industry, wood processing, and healthcare. The first package includes 30 projects worth more than $100 million.

In total, during the first phase, the plan is to employ 1,100 Uzbek citizens on a competitive basis at 13 enterprises in the Vitebsk and other regions. Starting in September, the plan is to employ 500 residents of the Andijan region in the Vitebsk region each month. The total will be 5,000. To this end, a representative office of the Migration Agency will open in Vitebsk.

No offense

The very first days of the Uzbek workers’ stay show that they shouldn’t be mistreated. They won’t put up with poor working conditions or low wages. They aren’t shy about speaking up about their problems. And propagandists won’t succeed in silencing or intimidating these people. They have people to complain to, and there are those who will stand up for them.

Meanwhile, information about how hospitable Belarus is to migrant workers is spreading online. Along with quotes from Azarenka and others about what labor migration should look like. “Upon arrival, people don’t form any diasporas or clans. They sign a contract with the company and then, along with their families, stay in a dormitory where everyone is in plain sight. And they are regularly visited by the local police officer to ensure there’s not even a thought of disrupting the order familiar to Belarusians. Let me remind you, in case anyone has forgotten. We live under a “dictatorship.” We have the strongest law enforcement agencies. Not even a mouse can scurry by without special permission,” the country’s chief propagandist declares sternly.

By the way, the average salary in the Vitebsk region is currently $880. Uzbekistan, it seems, will secure a higher figure for its citizens. But it’s a shame for the Belarusians—there’s no one to stand up for them or advocate for their salaries either.

All that’s left is to endure it or leave. And the propagandists could go work in the fields of the Vitebsk region. They’re so good at explaining exactly how, for whom, and for how much people need to work.