AUCPB- CLASS STRUGGLE 28 JULY

LABOUR MOVEMENT IN RUSSIA – REPUBLICS OF EX-USSR – INTERNATIONAL


AUCPB EXPRESSES CLASS SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT

Joint Statement of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the AUCPB for Ukraine, Moldova and Transdniestria and the editorial of AUCPB newspaper "Workers' and Peasants' Truth" (Raboche-Krestyanskaya Pravda)

Dear fellow Kazakh comrades!

We admire your courageous fight for your rights: against rising prices, for higher wages, the establishment of normal working conditions, safety measures, providing good housing and environmental conditions for the establishment and maintenance of independent labour unions.

Together with you, we support your workers’ leaders Natalia Sokolova, Natalia Azhigalievu, Akzhanata Aminov, hunger strikers and other comrades who have selflessly and courageously defended the rights of the oilmen and the rights of the working man.

We note that the conditon of the working class, working people of Kazakhstan - as well as workers in other republics of ex-Soviet Union – which are akin to slave states was a result of the criminal destruction of our great Soviet Motherland, the privatization (embezzlement and misappropriation) of socialist public property and the return to the exploitative capitalist system .

We are deeply outraged by the repression against the protesters, against your workers and union leaders, repression inflicted by the authorities and security forces of the anti-peoples bourgeois regime of Nursultan Nazarbayev - traitor of the Communist Party and Soviet people and faithful servant of capital.

At the same time, we urge you to remain vigilant and not allow the use of the labour movement in Kazakhstan as a tool by the imperialist secret services of the U.S. and the West, when on a wave of indignation of the working masses against the intolerable conditions of life, the top echelons of power of one protege of the bourgeoisie is replaced by another one, and an openly pro-American, pro-Western and anti-Russian one at that.

You can achieve true victory by destroying the power of capital and bringing to power a Soviet workers' government. Let your fight be an inspiring example for the working class and toiling masses of all the other republics ("independent" states) of the ex-USSR.

We wish you success and VICTORY in the struggle!

July 13, 2011

http://vkpb.net.ua/

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IN THE PORT OF KALININGRAD, CREW GO ON STRIKE ABOARD A DUTCH CARGO SHIP

Dry cargo ship "Navin Kestrel" belongs to the Netherlands company "NYKI SHIPPING BV". The sailors, among them citizens of Russia and Ukraine have not been paid since May. They refused to sail on and appealed for help to the Kaliningrad inspection ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation).

As reported in the inspection, after negotiating with the Netherlands branch, and having made a collective bargaining agreement with the company, part of the salary was paid. However, now the owner has stopped communicating with the sailors. Then they said that the ship will not leave the port until they are fully paid.

Meanwhile the "Navin Kestrel" fully loaded remain in the port of Kaliningrad. In addition to salaris, the shipowner will have to pay material damages to the maritime authorities of the port. When entering Kaliningrad on electricity on the freighter disappeared, and the ship passed the pier entrance gate.
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IVANOVO WORKERS DEMAND THE REMOVAL OF THEIR UNSCRUPULOUS DIRECTOR

On July 18 at the entrance of "Specialized municipal enterprise for sanitary cleaning of the city and facility improvement of the city of Ivanov", at the initiative of workers of that enterprise and Ivanovo City Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, a protest was held against the destructive activities of the director of the facilities V.A. Gorobtsov and mass layoffs of workers.

Head of the Administration of Ivanovo A.S. Kuzmichev, denied workers the right to picket at 17.00, and proposed moving it to 19.00. Workers refused to change the time of and gathered at the entrance of the company, as stated in the notice.

By the entrance about 60 people gathered. Conversation took place about the situation prevailing in the enterprise with the new director V.A. Gorobtsov. All that accumulated in recent months, was talked about by people among themselves, and they also so spoke to local TV journalists .

Deputy Mayor of Ivanov K.V. Bocharov came out to the entrance. The workers confidently state that V.A. Gorobtsov was led to the company by precisely K.V. Bocharov. The Deputy Head of the city looked, assessed the situation and emotional intensity of the crowd and invited everyone in the auditorium of the enterprise. The workers, after consulting among themselves, agreed and headed towards the entrance security checkpoint. But it was not so easy to pass it. Security laid down a condition that only 5 people could be allowed to go in at a time. This angered the employees. With indignation at the "draconian order" established Gorobtsov, people left the checkpoint and continued their protest, which in the form could not be seen as a protest, but on the internal content and intensity, it was precisely such.

The police present at the same time, watched what was happening but did not intervene, warning protestors they would not tolerate breaches in public order. I must say that workers at the time of this standing at the entrance, behaved consistently and with dignity, without giving any reason for police intervention.

After some time out of doors of the company, again appeared K.V. Bocharov and repeatedly asked the workers to come into the assembly hall, while ensuring that all interested persons could pass through, except reporters and TV crews. Why the representative of city government suddenly formed a disliking of the media, he failed to explain, and nobody ask him about that. They all took it for granted. What can you do?! That’s the authorities for you ...

The small room dimly lit hall of failed to evoke much optimism, and very emotional situation gathered clouds over the upcoming meeting, and prepared a storm and threat of popular anger.

The hall gradually filled up, and almost all the seats were occupied. At the presidium sat K.V. Bocharov and A.N. Avtoneev, secretary of the Ivanovo city committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) and chairman of the public association "Perspective".

Bocharov conducted the meeting. Trying to calm the audience, he began the conversation by offering to settle the conflict at the company and begin normal operation, and asked what the workers were not satisfied with at work. His last question "added fuel to the fire." The hall was in uproar.

Valery Lavetkin, a heavy goods driver stood up, and in turn asked Bocharov a number of counter-questions, "Why is the enterprise conducting mass layoffs? At one time you said that it would be better lay off 100 workers rather than one manager, so how do you think about that now? Why lay off people who signed the letter to the President of Russia, just because they put their signature to this letter? Why are entire teams being fired for this?" The hall thundered: "Our demand is that it is necessary to replace the head of the enterprise."

Trying to seize the initiative and reassure those present, Bocharov, not answering the questions by Lavetkin, changed the conversation and said that from Friday (15/07/2011), all orders on reduction in employee number will be revoked, and layoffs on those grounds will not be made. "If there are layoffs, then, only for violations, truancy, boozing, and the rest he will sort out himself", - said deputy head of administration.

It seemed that this message was to reassure people, but no. In the hearts of so many workers boiled resentment at the indignity and humiliation they suffered from the director Gorobtsov, that they did not want to make any concessions. Only one condition, said the workers - the director had to be fired. The hall was buzzing with indignation. People took turns getting up to speak, or directly from their seats, and expressed the bitterness that had accumulated in recent years, with difficulty selecting an expression that would not upset the authorities by the workers’ directness, they demanded from the administration only one thing - replace the director. They were by now not worried about the argument of the presidium, that a worse director could replace the present one. They had only one argument - "It can’t get any worse than it is already."

Again Lavetkin Valery stood up and said: "Today I get cake on one side spread with honey and mustard spread on the other side. If Gorobets remains, then tomorrow he will dismiss all of us one by one from the company. I know him from the Kohomsky DRSU company, which he successfully ruined and bankrupted. I had to leave there. Today, he is destroying the SMP and is preparing me again the fate of an unemployed man."

The workers supported Valery, and voices could be heard saying: "And what about those who have already been fired? They should be reinstated."

After enduring a brief pause, Bocharov agreed with the need to restore the previously dismissed workers. He suggested that those who had already been dismissed, some of whom were present in the hall, write an application for reinstatement.

Only yesterday the authorities were adamant they did not even want to listen to ordinary people, but now are available, softer, supple and making concessions. Politically infantile citizens would ask themselves what happened with the authorities. But something is clear to us. The answer is ridiculously simple. First of all, workers appealed for help to the Communists, and secondly this is all on the verge of elections in October 2011 in the State Duma and in March 2012 - Russian Presidential elections. The "United Russia" party has a problem with getting votes in this election, and in the company a large group of disgruntled workers has formed, so the authorities are rushing to extinguish the conflict and to "stabilize" the situation at least until March 2012. And the elections will pass and again, they will do anything they like, including violate all past commitments, arguing - political expediency. Until the next election which will be in 5 years, during this time, all resentment will be forgotten, and on the shoulders of naive once again they will "enter into power."

Events in the company, are somewhat similar to the situation with the electric trolley buses in the regional center, which the authorities wanted to destroy in the spring. The authorities managed to extinguish the conflict. Will it be able to cope with this?

Times change, people change, and they are not so gullible as they used to be. They frankly do not believe the authorities. That is why in the hall, unflattering accusations flew: "We have two "fronts", one for managers who receive a salary and live happily ever after, and another, our "front" of workers, those who lose their jobs and wages, have lowered allowances, and are denied bonuses".

Presiding Bocharov, knowing that he was unable to control the situation at a meeting, and trying to seize the initiative went on to make further concessions: "As for pay, the foreman puts forward the allowance, and whoever does not agree with this allowance, we will create a commission, which will include a member of HR, a chairman of the trade union ...". The explosion of laughter do not let him finish. Through the laughter of the workers said: "What kind of defenders of the people are they. They follow the bosses orders and have no opinions of their own."

Behind the podium stood Director Gorobets. The words he uttered, a few disconnected phrases and difficult to understand outraged the hall. Sounded: "What is there to talk to him about! Lets get out of here!" The workers all at once got up and walked to the door, talking on the way about this meeting. In their words, there was no optimism, no hope for the future and no satisfaction, even in view of the fact that the employer knocked out individual concessions. They are well aware of their director and are assured that this gentleman will not forgive anyone or anything. People said: "The Rubicon has been crossed" and we should now go to the end, until victory. Only replacement of the director can make a difference to the enterprise."

In the empty hall remained Bocharov, Gorobets, Avtoneev and several people from the administration of the company.

All the workers left the checkpoint, where they were met by waiting journalists and TV people yearning for information and with professional curiosity asked questions and recorded on camera interviews with workers about the meeting in the auditorium and the latest news that the journalists needed but were excommunicated by the will of the local authorities.

Gradually journalistic curiosity was satisfied, cameras and tripods into the cars the media left to return to their studios and editorial offices to prepare new material about the struggle of the workers for their rights, dosing out the truth by measure of their honesty.

The action continued. The workers waited for Andrei Avtoneev who negotiated with Bocharov, and the managers. It was a long wait and the impatient workers went home. But the backbone of about twenty people continued to wait for the result. After half an hour Andrei came out. The workers surrounded him. He said "Bocharov suggested to the protesting workers nominate candidates for the post of Deputy Director of the company." For the workers, this proposal was a surprise. It could be seen that the situation meant the regional governor had to act in any manner in the shortest possible time to extinguish the conflict. So now the city administration has to make concessions, which were unthinkable before even today. A candidate for Deputy Director was immediately found by the workers, and it just this man that Gorobets has long been methodically persecuting trying to drive out of the company under any pretext. The question arises, how the deputy and director to will work, having such a relationship. One gets the impression that the government's current goal is to extinguish the conflict at the enterprise, and after the elections, "We will work out what to do with him."