On the initiative of the All-Russia Confederation
of Labour, a meeting was held between YABLOKO’s leadership
and the leaders of the confederation, which is the most representative
Russian trade union association that is not part of the Federation
of Independent Trade Unions of Russia.
Leader leader of YABLOKO party Sergei Mitrokhin, coordinator
of the Political Committee of the Party Boris Misnik, head
of the general fraction Galina Mikhaleva, co-chairman of the
social democratic fraction and member of the bureau of the
Party Anatoly Golov, representatives of the confederation
and members of the Executive Committee of the All-Russia Confederation
of Labour attended the meeting, which discussed violations
of the rights of employees and trade unions.
Meeting participants agreed that both legislation and law
enforcement practice in Russia prevent workers from defending
their employment rights. Material restrictions have been imposed
on the freedom of association and the right to create trade
unions owing to the actual administrative procedure governing
their registration. The situation has worsened since 2002
– trade union representatives declared that amendments to
labour legislation had facilitated the transformation of trade
unions from subjects in t social labour relations into the
targets of said relations, where the employer devises anti-trade
union technologies.
Boris Kravchenko, Secretary-General of the All-Russia Confederation
of Labour stressed: “There is no mechanism to protect the
rights of trade unions: we cannot appeal either to the provisions
of law or to the law enforcement agencies.”
Alexander Shepel, vice-president of the All -Russia Confederation
of Labour, continued: “The law enforcement agencies intervene
in the work of the trade union. As soon as a trade union raises
the issue of indexing or increasing wages, they start performing
audits into its activities, confiscating documents and conducting
searches.”
Trade union activists note that it transpired that the supervisory
bodies had been “privatised” by employers. Representatives
from the All-Russia Confederation of Labour and YABLOKO believe
that the number one priority is to return three rights to
trade unions: the freedom of association, the right to hold
collective negotiations and the right to strike by easing
the procedures for declaring and implementing such actions.
Igor Kovalchuk, President of the All-Russia Confederation
of Labour, stressed: “The state has power and the backing
of securities services, while business has money, which is
also power. The employees have nothing. However, if they all
know what a “truncheon” is – you don’t have to use it, you
simply need to know about its existence – the situation would
change.”
The meeting resulted in the signing of an understanding and
mutual assistance. The discussed topics will form the basis
of the speech of YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin at a meeting
in the State Duma on 10 December.
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