In Russia, large-scale protests against the increase in retirement age do not stop
In the second half of July 2018, mass rallies and pickets continued to be held in many regions of the country. Workers, pensioners, students, the unemployed, and some intellectuals actively opposed the increase in the retirement age initiated by Putin and Medvedev. Only during the week of July 16-22 protests took place in more than 20 cities. One of the most massive was a rally in Novosibirsk - it was attended by more than two thousand townspeople. One and a half thousand protesters gathered in Angarsk, over a thousand in Rubtsovsk, over seven hundred in Velikiye Luki, six hundred in Vologda and Satka (Chelyabinsk Region). More than 500 citizens came to the meeting in Kirov, in Irkutsk - four hundred people.
On July 18, a mass protest rally, attended by more than 1,500 protesters, was held in Moscow, in the Sokolniki Park. Among the participants there were many ordinary Muscovites, mostly middle-aged. Many came with self-made posters "We want to live to retirement," "No pension genocide," "We do not want to work until the grave." The protesters are going to create an all-Russian headquarters and in September to organize across Russia a one-time massive protest action.
The rally in Leningrad, held on July 19, gathered more than a thousand people. Since the authorities of the city, under far-fetched pretexts, refused to agree on the event, the protesters decided to take a walk along Nevsky Prospekt from Malaya Sadovaya Street to St. Isaac's Square. Participants of the action raised red cards, symbolizing a serious violation of the "rules of the game" by the government.
At the Griboedov Canal, the police blocked the way, everyone stopped. Dozens of commandos rushed into the mass of people and snatched from it some activists of the left and trade union organizations. During these "detentions" people loudly chanted: "Shame! Shame! ", After which they continued their journey to St. Isaac's Square.
Numerous rallies were also held in Izhevsk, Severouralsk, Sevastopol, Kaliningrad, Kuibyshev (Novosibirsk region), Yaroslavl, Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, Zheleznogorsk, Sukhoi Log. Pickets were held in Orsk, Saratov, Arkhangelsk and other cities. All events were organized by supporters of socialism, regional trade union associations and public activists.
As of July 18, only 2,206,406 people participated in trade union actions against raising the retirement age. In the framework of protests against the pension reform, trade unions organized 42 rallies, 1 march, 154 pickets, 13289 meetings, 13 conferences, 3597 meetings.
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Strike by workers in the Tyumen region
In the middle of July a strike broke out at the SIBUR Tobolsk hydrocarbon processing plant.
Over 300 people took part in the strike. Workers who despaired of lack of money and poverty, according to eyewitnesses, broke into the plant administration and caused damage to the car of their boss, demanding money.
The main reason for the strike was a three-month delay in the payment of earnings. Strikers are also dissatisfied with the quality of food and living conditions.
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Protest action in Ulyanovsk
On July 20, over two thirds of the staff of the fixed-route taxi drivers No. 28 organized a strike. As a result, buses plied the route at intervals of 2 hours.
Strikers do not like the current working conditions and wages.
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Pickets in Yakutia
On July 20, a series of protest actions against the adoption of the bill on the study of the languages of small nations was held in the republic. According to protesters, if new rules are implemented, the number of hours to study their native language in schools will be reduced.
People went out to pickets with posters on which it says: "State Duma deputies - do not carve up Russia!", "We will preserve our native language!".
Adoption of the above bill in the State Duma can only complicate interethnic relations in our country, provoke the growth of nationalist and separatist sentiments among the non-Russian bourgeoisie.
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Georgian miners are fighting for safe working conditions
On July 23, in the center of the city of Tkibuli, the miners started a rally in the form of a rally and strike. They demanded to remove the leadership of the company "Gruzugol" from their posts, organize a meeting with the Prime Minister and strengthen the safety standards.
The workers recognized the need to investigate the causes of the accidents that occurred on April 5 and July 16 at the Mindeli mine and punish the perpetrators. As a result of these tragedies, ten miners were killed.
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Abroad
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Mass picket in Poland
On July 25, several hundred workers and representatives of other social groups held a protest near the building of the directorate of a nitrogen plant in the city of Pulawy. This mass picket was a response to the actions of the authorities who unlawfully fired the trade union activist.
Collective labor dispute at a chemical plant in Pulava lasts since November last year. The two largest trade-union organizations demand from the authorities to reject reorganization of the enterprise. The Board plans to transfer the trading and audit departments to the city of Tarnów, which will hurt the status of the plant and its workers.
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A radical protest by the French farmers
On July 24, the 16th stage of the Tour de France cycle race was thwarted. This was due to the protest of the farmers, who blocked the track with haystacks. They thus expressed their dissatisfaction with the policies of the authorities that follow the standards of the European Union, and, as a result, the state funding of agriculture is declining.
The police applied tear gas to the farmers. However, athletes also suffered.
All this happened 187 kilometers to the finish line between the cities of Carcassonne and Bagneres de Luchon.
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Strike in Britain
On July 25 in the country began a two-day strike of employees of an Irish airline. About 600 flights to Belgium, Portugal and Spain were canceled.
The main reason for the strike is the low salaries of flight attendants and pilots, who, not for the first time with the help of the strike, drew the attention of their superiors to this problem.
