Belarussian factory workers make uniforms for NATO

May 2, 1999
Web posted at: 1:08 p.m. EDT (1708 GMT)

BORISOV, Belarus (CNN) -- Debate over Yugoslavia is ripping the fabric of a little town in Belarus, where the only working factory makes uniforms.

The problem is that they're making them for NATO.

Townspeople on one side say the factory workers are laboring for the wrong army, while the factory workers themselves say they don't care who they sew for, as long as they are paid.

A thousand women at the Borisov Sewing Factory get paid about 25 cents an hour, working for clients that include the British Royal Air Force. The exported uniforms have reinforced buttons, map pockets and even padded sleeves for the comfort of snipers.

But many outside the factory gates want the work to stop. They say it's practically treason.

"Break the contract," said one man. "Why are we helping NATO fight against our Slavic brothers?"

Public pressure has the factory boss on the hot seat.

"To say we aren't afraid is not correct," factory director Anatoli Natalenko said.

But jobs in the region are scarce, and workers say they can't afford to complain about the work they're doing. Besides, they say, it's not a significant contribution to NATO's war effort.

"We're not making bombs," said one employee. "And if we stop sewing, it won't mean NATO will stop bombing Yugoslavia."

The Borisov factory has countered the protests by introducing and a new line of children's coats for sale in Belarus -- and listing the exported uniforms as "sports clothes" to avoid trouble at the border.

Correspondent Steve Harrigan contributed to this report.

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