...I think it would be more useful if Svetlana informed the list about
the activities of her organisation in Samara...
Mark
Well, I shall tell the members of the list about my organisation`s activity
and not only in Samara because Interregional Association of the Workers
Trade Union "Defense of Labor" is All-Russian trade union. I suppose it is
interesting for our Western comrades therefore I shall detail the story.
The Workers trade union "Defense" (at present "Defense of Labor") has been
acting since 1992, it has organizations in 45 regions of Russia and numbers
nearly 4000 members now.
Many Russian leftists develope trade union "Defense" which differs from old,
so called "official" trade unions (FNPR), head by Shmakov that the
membership of representatives of administration is forbidden in "Defense"
therefore it can really and rezolutely fight for labour rights of workers.
The second difference is absence of bureaucracy in our trade union because
all organisations as a rule are head by three co-chairmen with equal powers,
realizing leadership in turn. And the third difference is that trade union
"Defense" does not limit its activity only by economic requests, and puts
forward also political anticapitalist ones.
The advanced edge of working movement today is Astrakhan organization of
"Defense". There our comrades have ramified web of workers organizations,
acting at 50 plants of the Astrakhan area. Astrakhan "Defense" achieves
significant successes - payment of the multimonth delayed salary,
restoration of comrades illegally dismissed from plants, realization of
checks of finansical activity of the enterprises including of labour
collective (factory "Astrakhanpromstroi"), removal of the gone too far
directors, prevention of liquidation of the enterprises (factory SpetsGBI),
pay rise (for example, last summer the workers of all lift companies of
Astrakhan, who total are members of "Defence", have achieved removal of the
director of the company RUS OTIS, and also the pay rising on 70% by meanse
of threat of strike and negotiations with the Moscow representative of
italian centre of this international firm, in all three enterprices were
made the collective agreements).
"Defence" uses radical methods of struggle (blocking of streets, office
buildings, occuping of the plants), on which workers are compelled to go
because of multimonth delay of the salary, intentions of administration to
close the plants or to carry out mass dismissals etc. This is the fourth
distinguishing feature of our organisation.
No wonder, that such activity does not bring pleasure to authorities and
directors of plants. Eight active workers of Astrakhan "Defence", including
the co-chairman of Astrakhan "Defence" at present the deputy of the State
Duma of Russian Federation Oleg Shein, were subjected to attacks.
In March of 1999 Oleg Maksakov, one of the best and most talented workers
leaders was cowardly murdered by gunshots in the back at the age of 36 by
criminals paid by the Russian bourgeoisie. He was the beloved leader of
Astrakhan proletariat, the Co-chairman of the regional branch of the Trade
Union Alliance "Zashchita Truda/ Defense of Labor". He was the organizer of
all mass actions of the protest and participated together with Oleg Shein in
investigation of financial frauds of the directors of the enterprises.
Oleg Maksakov`s photo you can find at
http://www.geocities.com/rosskommuna/maksakov.html
On Web-page of "Defence" you will find an information about actions of
"Defence" in different cities - Moscow, Astrakhan, Samara, Ufa.
http://www.geocities.com/rosskommuna/zashchita.html
For example, in Moscow at the bearing factory the organization of "Defense"
numbering only 23 workers has achieved through court holding by
administration of the request of acting Labour Code about granting
additional leave to the workers occupied in harmful working conditions - for
all workers of the factory.
There is the large organization of "Defense" (1200 workers and engineers) at
federal nuclear centre in Arzamas-16, where our comrades achieved conclusion
the progressive collective agreement with administration without any
discrimination in comparison with old trade union.
The most remarkable and succesful action organized by trade union "Defense"
took place in September, 2000 Ç. in Astrakhan where the radical labor leader
and the deputy of the State Duma Oleg Shein with 200 hundred chemical
workers and local communities have been blocked the highway
Astrakhan-Aksaraisk leading to the huge gas processing plant during 5 days.
They demanded from the regional government to stop the deadly contamination
of the working class settlements by the giant gas monopoly Gazprom and to
provide their families with housing in safe areas.
And at the end of a 5-day long, round-the clock highway blockade they won
the complete victory. Firstly the communal tariffs (rent and rates) were cut
in half. And also, the workers had now 320 homes, 20
