Belarus's state finances are completely dependent on the country's large state-owned factories.
If the factories stop, the country will go bankrupt and then Lukashenko will have a hard time staying in power.
At the end of August, SVT visited the city of Grodno and met some of those who led the protests there, including Vadim Vensky, one of the strike leaders at the chemical factory Grodno Azot, which has about 7,500 employees.
Breaking the factory's production is very difficult because chemical production is a complicated process that cannot be stopped in any way.
Still, about a hundred workers and residents gathered outside the entrance to the factory at seven o'clock to prevent the morning shift change.
- The police had then created a corridor with their shields forced them with access cards into the area while others who would not work were arrested, says the machine operator and strike leader Vadim Vensky on the phone to SVT.
Has gathered outside the police station
According to the authorities, a total of 32 people were arrested and taken to the police station.
The independent Belarusian news site Onliner and Grodno Azot's strike committee say several people were beaten with batons during transport to the police station.
During the afternoon, relatives gathered outside the police station to find out what happened to the detainees.
The local news site Grodno Life states that people are released gradually, after they have been interrogated.
Jezji Grigentja, one of the opposition leaders in Grodno, says that the police have also started arresting people in their homes.
- At the large demonstration in the square yesterday, about 20 people were arrested, but then it turned out that over 70 people were arrested.
This, that people are now picked up in their homes has started to happen since Lukashenko said that it is better to pick people up at home than to chase them in the squares.
Now no one feels safe here anymore, says Jezhi Grigentja, who himself has spent a total of 20 days in custody.
He was arrested for the second time a couple of weeks after we met him in Grodno and he is accused of arranging illegal demonstrations.
"Why should I work for those who hit us with batons"
Jezji doesn't really believe in demonstrations that much.
- No, if we will succeed now depends entirely on our workers, if the factories stop then Lukashenko will fall, says Yezhi Grigentja.
Machine operator Vadim Venskij agrees.
He does not intend to go on the night shift tonight.
- Why should I work for those who hit us with batons when we come to our own workplace.
That's absurd.
No, I have decided, says strike leader Vadim Vensky.
On Monday, demonstrations continued in Minsk.
Thousands of pensioners, students and doctors went out in joint protest against the violence and demanding Lukashenko's resignation.