Thursday, September 2, 2010

RECORD OF THE LABOUR MOVEMENT IN RUSSIA

RECORD OF THE LABOUR MOVEMENT IN RUSSIA

(June 25 - July 15, 2010)

from the All Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks in Russia



At Volkswagen, welders refused to work

On June 25 at 14:00, the welders in the body shop, in accordance with Article 379 of the Russian Labour Code, refused to perform work in connection with the threat to their lives and health, reports the press service of the MPRA.

On this day, thermometers installed in the coachwork shop, recorded a temperature of over 31° C, in some areas over 32° C.

The fact of the high temperature was recorded as an act of violation of labour protection requirements, but the immediate supervisor of the workers - the section chief Fitsukov refused to sign it. At the same time, engineer on health and safety S. Osipov assured the workers that the thermometer readings did not correspond to reality. In his words, the real temperature in the shop, which is recorded by electronic sensors did not exceed 28 ° C. He provided management with this figure, but the workers did not succumb to the exhortations and threats by head Fitsukov, and refused to work.

In turn, management in negotiations with union representatives of MPRA over the incident referred to earlier agreements with the union that in the case of excess air temperature above 28 ° C, the employees were entitled to a paid break - 5 minutes of every working hour. In response, union representatives took a hard line, indicating that the refusal to work was because of the threat to life and health and is a legitimate right of the workers themselves, and no agreement could change that or worsen it. Workers themselves are free to decide whether or not to refuse to work in the event of a threat to their lives and health, and the union should not persuade them to start working if such a threat actually exists.

Meanwhile, during negotiations, the workers of the body shop, not yielding to the threats of the authorities, successfully stood their ground until the end of the day.



Employees at Petrovsky distillery have suspended their hunger strike

In the village of Petrovsky in Ivanovo region from 28 June to Friday 1 July, 30 workers at the main distillery enterprise were on hunger strike. They demanded the repayment of wages arrears, reported IA "ICD".

There are currently pay arrears to workers at Petrovsky distillery amounting to about 20 million rubles. In 2009, the entire workforce was sacked – 1200 people. After that, about 350 people were again employed. Workers were forced to take an extreme measure - a hunger strike.

They set up at the plant five tents and began a hunger strike. The workers shouted “"OST” Group to account", "We are not slaves!".

On Wednesday June 30, the governor of the region, Mikhail Men visited them. With him involved in the negotiations were leadership of the regional Duma, heads of districts and shareholders of the plant. As a result of negotiations, the parties arrived at the opinion that the assets of the plant should be transferred from federal to regional ownership or ownership to state joint stock company “Rosspiritprom”.

After meeting with the hunger strikers, the governor flew to Moscow and returned to Ivanovo with a promise to pay off the wage arrears by July 22. After consultation, the protesters decided to suspend the hunger strike until July 22, with a warning: that if arrears are not be settled by that date, the hunger strike will be resumed.




Workers went on strike at the Cheboksary Aggregate Works

At the Cheboksary Aggregate Works workers’ unrest began, reported IA REGNUM news. Due to the delay of wages at the foundry a spontaneous strike took place. According to plant workers, they were on strike for two days - 29 and 30 June. The reason being the delay in wages, the last salary being paid for the month of April, and then only 40% of the wage was paid. On June 30, the foundry workshop stood idle for the first half of the working day. After negotiations and promises by the factory administration to pay the salaries, work resumed.




Tomsk ball-bearing factory workers went on hunger strike

For 7 days (from 1 July) continued the hunger strike by workers of the Tomsk bearing plant, reported IA "ICD". 11 workers at OAO “Tomsk Podshipnik” demanded the management of the company return the multi-million dollar wage debt. The total amount of debt is 48 million rubles, some employees of the company are owed more than a hundred thousand rubles. Protesters occupied one of the factory premises, and they were not going to end their hunger strike or leave the building until their demands were met.

Today, (at time of writing) there was information that the owner of the plant S. Magazev said that the money to pay off the wage debt to the workers had been found. At the same time, the strikers rejected the proposal by vice-director A. Simakovicha about a partial (70%) repayment of debt. The owner expected to receive the money to repay debts owed, by selling property and equipment of the plant, as well as other assets of the company. The plant, which stopped production a long time ago, is actually being destroyed.




South-Ural metallurgists held a rally at Alexandrinsky mining company

On July 6 in Nagaybaksky district of Chelyabinsk region, a mass rally was held against cuts and for higher salaries, according to GTRC “Southern Urals”. To the entrance of the Alexandrinsky mining company with placards and banners arrived its workers and trade unions of a few large companies in the region.

Since 2008, according to the union, wages have fallen by almost half. At the same time wages are not rising, the collective agreement, the signing of which was carried out, the workers say, has not been implemented.

But miners did not turn up at the rally. The protesters explained: they simply could not – the exit out of the mine was blocked by a car. So only those who work on the surface were able to reach the plant entrance.

Together with the Alexandrinsky workers, metallurgists of other enterprises came with placards in their hands and. They came from CMP, CMI, Satka "magnesite” and “Bakalskoe Ore" - they are united into one mining-metallurgical union of Russia.

The protesters promise that their general struggle will not end. They will continue to insist on their legitimate demands being met. People say they are ready to take extreme measures: i.e. to stop production, which means, to strike.




Orsk: WSorkers at "Sintezspirit" held a picket

On July 10, 2010 at Komsomolskaya Square in Orsk a picket was held by employees of the “Sintezspirit" plant, said www.ural56.ru.

Union of employees of Orsk, chairman Constantine Botuz explained that the reason for the picket was due to failure by the employers to implement tariff agreements: the company did not pay the full sum of money to the workers. And this was confirmed by the checks carried out by prosecutors.

According to the protesters, it is necessary to overcome fear of dismissal and protest and only then, the employer will be compelled obliged to respect the rights of workers.




Employees of the “Chita” construction company went on strike

Employees of the companies operating in the Trans-Baikal region in construction, on July 12, stopped work and went on strike, reports Zabmedia.ru. The reason was the failure to pay wages for several months.

"Many of us have not received full pay since December 2009. All the time we are paid in small sums of 4-5 thousand rubles a month. I am owed only a very little sum in comparison with the rest, in all 34 thousand. But even this money is not enough to feed a whole family ", - one of the employees told the correspondent of IA"Zabmedia".

According to him, work was stopped on major construction projects in Chita. Also, the company operates in Calga, Aga, Gas-Zavodski areas Duldurge, Argun.

According to the interviewer of IA “Zabmedia”, the company employees collected signatures and sent a statement about what is happening to the prosecutor's office, after which the employer promised to pay them their owed salaries by the end of that week.