Pyotr Slobodchuk, deputy director for ideological work at the Bobruisk Factory of Tractor Parts and Aggregates, wants to move the primary organization of the Free Trade Union of Belarus (SPB) from its office into some remote shed. It is impossible on the legal grounds, since the union has its valid rental contract; therefore, the ideologist decided to solve the problem by force.

Mikhail Kovalkov, Chairman of the SPB, told the website www.praca-by.info that the factory ideologist had sent a letter, running, in particular: "I hereby offer to set up a commission on forced relocation of the office property of the SPB's trade-union committee to a specially allocated premise for further work."

"I've received this letter; and I recollected the year 2008, when Russia forced Georgia to peace by means of war," Mr Kovalkov made his comment on the initiative of local ideologist.

"The ideologist's intention is clear," he continued. "He wants to resettle us and prevent factory workers from coming to the trade union office from the territory of the enterprise, thus erecting an additional hurdle for to contact the Free Trade Union. But he has no lawful grounds: our rental contract expires in 2012. Besides, we strictly observe all its provisions and timely make our payments. Only the court can move us out, not the order of factory ideologist.

Mikhail Kovalkov has expressed hope that the order on forcing the SPB out was Mr Slobodchuk's personal decision, and it will not be supported by the administration of the enterprise.

"I don't know what Slobodchuk wanted to show by his actions," said Mikhail, "but we regard them to be interference into internal affairs of the trade union, which hampers the legal work of our organization."

According to Pyotr Slobodchuk's order, the commission on SPB's resettlement from its office should have worked on June 30. However, the order was not executed.

According to Mikhail Kovalkov, the trade union gave no reaction to the ideologist's letter; and Slobodchuk, in his turn, has also undertaken no actions.

Nevertheless, as the trade-union leader has reported, the SPB is preparing documents to the Office of Public Prosecutor with a demand to check the legality of the actions of Pyotr Slobodchuk, an official of the administration.