-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Monday, September 03, 2001 4:12
AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Lipetsk Workers Resist -
your Solidarity needed now!
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RUSSIA INFO-LIST
from International Solidarity with Workers in Russia - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ISWoR web-site - http://members.aol.com/ISWoR/english/index.html
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Lipetsk Workers Win Back Wages after Threatening Strike
- your Solidarity needed Now!
Workers at the Lipchanka enterprise in Lipetsk, a town about 300 km southeast
of Moscow , threatened to take strike action on 3 September 2001 if the
management continues to refuse to pay their wages still owing from June and
July.
Since the re-introduction of the market system in Russia, the economic crisis
has seen huge amounts of capital leave the country to be salted away in
off-shore accounts, leaving no funds to pay the wages of workers . It is very
common for wages to remain unpaid for up to a year, or for payment to be made
in the form of goods for barter, which can be anything from condoms to
coffins.
When part of the (mainly female) workforce at Lipchanka threatened to strike,
the director paid their wages but simultaneously declared the proposed strike
illegal. Meanwhile the staff in other shops at the enterprise declared their
readiness to join the strike too.
Management responded by trying to prevent union representatives from visiting
the shop floor. Igor Kuznetsov, co-chairman of Zaschita union reports what
happened when the workers found out that their fellow-workers, members of
independent union Delo, had threatened strike action and been paid
immediately:
"Today in the afternoon, September, 1, the chair of the local committee,
Zinaida Shmeleva, was asked to come to Shop 2 so that the shop can join the
trade union 'Delo'. Shmelova arrived with the forms to withdraw from the
FNPR* and join 'Delo'. At this point the assistant manager of the shop
has
run after Shmeleva and began to shout at her, trying to interfere with
trade-union activity. "
[*Note: FNPR is the main trade union confederation in Russia, which generally
collaborates with the employers and government, and is currently backing a
new Labour Code legalising the 58-hour week, payment in kind etc. -
Editor]
Under the existing Labour Code, the boss has no right to prevent the local
union from carrying out its function of defending the rights of workers.
Please help the workers of Lipchanka , many of whom are single mothers and
desperately need their wages paid on time, to fight off company intimidation
and win their battle. Email the model letter below (or write your own) to
General director of Lipchanka Company, Vladimir Torshin
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
With copies to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Igor Kuznetsov,
co-chair
of Zaschita union alliance, which the local Dyelo union is now in the process
of joining.)
General director of Lipchanka Company
Vladimir Torshin
Dear Mr. Torshin,
I/we are writing to you in connection with the workers at Lipchanka, many of
whom have not received their wages from as far back as June. It is barbaric
to expect the women, many of whom are supporting families, to work without
pay. When they exercised their legal right to join and organise in a union,
some of your managers tried to drive union representatives away from the shop
floor. In particular the manager of Shop 2 tried to intimidate Zinaida
Shmeleva, the chairperson of the local union committee.
The intimidation and interference must stop immediately. Trade unionists
internationally are now being informed about the situation at Lipchanka. We
demand that you pay the wages of these workers now!
Signed
NAME
UNION/ORGANISATION
TOWN
COUNTRY
EMAIL ADDRESS
Now email above letter to the following THREE addresses:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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