Class struggle in the second half of October and first half of November2018

In Kuibyshev, a mass rally was held against raising the retirement age

Despite the fact that Putin and Medvedev, who have been pushing through their brutal reform, are celebrating a victory over the Russian workers, people still do not give up. The country remains active and massive discontent with raising the retirement age. For example, in Kuibyshev (Samara), on October 20, 2018, supporters of socialism organized another crowded rally against this reform.

The action gathered over 1,500 workers, students, intellectuals, retirees, and the unemployed. People came with posters and banners on which it was written: "No increase in the retirement age", "The power is dipping into the people's pocket", "Pension reform - genocide of the people", "We must change not the retirement age, but the government", "We are not slaves ! "," Hands off our pensions! "

One of the speakers at the rally thanked the protesters for their active position, urging not to slow down the protest, because only by uniting the working people will we be able to stop this outrage.

Activist Elona Artamonova said from the podium: “It is very nice to see young people at the rally. Thus, she is not indifferent to our future, the future of our country and the future of our children. The authorities went to raising the retirement age, while many people even now cannot find a job. The labor market is especially difficult for women. And we can’t imagine what will happen to us when we are 55 years old. How will we live? How will our husbands live? How are we going to raise our children? I am against raising the retirement age and I believe that this is complete chaos. Down with the pension reform! ”

Another speaker, student Valery Demchenko, said: “Our rulers continue to mercilessly rob us! Claiming new taxes, they raise their income, including from the budget! We are against raising the retirement age! The government that initiated the raising of the retirement age must be brought to justice! The party "United Russia", which dragged through this bill - should be tried in court! The main thing, comrades, is not to surrender! ”

All the speakers and protesters were united in their words and opinions - down with the power of the party of crooks and thieves! Down with the liberal government! Down with this power, every day robbing its people!
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Strike in the Leningrad region

On October 17, in Lagolovo, electricians and plumbers, as well as other employees of the local management company, went on strike. Without waiting for pay, people did not go to work.
The main requirement is repayment of wage arrears. People have not seen the money for three or four months.


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In Primorye, milkmaids organized a protest rally

On October 22, employees of the Dalnevostochnoye dairy farm, located in Surajevka, suspended work until their salaries were paid in full. People are tired of living without money.
"Far Eastern" is one of the largest farms of the Far East. Currently it is in a pre-bankrupt state. If you count from July, the debt to employees of the enterprise amounted to 13 million rubles.

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Workers rally held in Voronezh

On October 21, 2018, many dozens of employees of a glass container plant came out to protest, demanding the return of wage arrears.
People stood with placards in their hands, where their demand was written. Someone were owed 40 thousand rubles, someone - 80 thousand, some - 120 thousand.
- I survive thanks to friends. I am divorced with my wife, I have no relatives ... I haven’t paid rent for an apartment for three months - there is nothing. My daughter and I have no money even for food. We eat cereals and pasta. Sometimes friends feed us. Tanya is in 9th grade. I can't even pay for the school security. For the new school year, she could not buy any new things. All collected by friends, acquaintances. We have reached the point of extreme poverty. Three weeks ago I had a stroke because of the nervous problems. For medication, too, friends helped out by collecting money. I am afraid that I will not live to the moment when our employers pay us back. Very scary for my daughter, ”electric and gas welder Alexander Shutenko said at the rally.
A similar situation for many factory workers. People remember the 90s, some have no money for anything other than food. We have nothing to pay on credit.

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Strike by Lysychansk miners

On October 19, a protest of workers began in the occupied territory of the Lugansk People’s Republic. Miners mine them. Kapustin in Lisichansk refused to rise to the surface in protest. They demanded payment of debt on wages, which is 126.6 million hryvnia.

At first, 18 miners from the first shift remained underground, then 15 miners from the second shift. And the salary to the miners is owed since 2015.

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In Croatia, a protest against raising the retirement age

In foreign Europe, as in Russia, workers are actively opposed to attempts to postpone the time it takes to get a well-deserved rest. On October 20, several thousand Croats came out to protest in Zagreb against raising the retirement age to 67 years.

Some protesters shouted: "Thieves!" Many showed posters where it was written about the robbery of workers and pensioners. One of these banners read: "From school to unemployment, from work to the cemetery."

The fact is that the government sent a bill to parliament suggesting an increase in the retirement age from the current 65 years to 67 years by 2033. In addition, it also spells a reduction in the size of pensions by 4 percent per year for those who retire earlier.

- We are very upset and outraged. This is an irresponsible decision regarding our workers and retirees, said activist Kresimir Sever. The trade unions consider such a reform a blow to the older workers, who are often already dismissed before reaching the current retirement age. Metallurgists, nurses and representatives of some other professions at the rally said that they simply could not physically work until the age of 67.
- I work in the rain and under the scorching sun, my legs and back are carrying hundreds of congested trash bins daily. “I already had an operation on one knee, the other one also needs to be treated,” said an employee of one of the garbage companies.

If the government does not refuse to raise the retirement age, trade unions intend to launch a campaign for a nationwide referendum on this issue.

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Mass strike in Finland

On October 22, about 10 thousand service workers began a two-day large-scale strike in more than 50 municipalities and cities of the country. The employees of the enterprises engaged in cleaning the premises and servicing the municipal real estate stopped their work. In the schools and kindergartens did not work canteens.
Many municipal sports fields, swimming pools and libraries were closed.

The protest is directed against government plans to facilitate layoffs in small enterprises, where no more than 20 people work.


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Philippine Workers Protest

At the beginning of the second half of October, an indefinite strike continued at the enterprises of a local tobacco company. The strike began on September 28th. The protest was initiated by the union with the support of the Workers Party. Together with the strike, a picket was held at the entrance of one of the factories.
The reason for the protest was the closure of the company in the city of Vigan, combined with the dismissal of 90 people. In addition, there were 220 job losses at a factory, located on the outskirts of the country's capital Manila.
The strikers opposed the dismissal of these employees and demanded their return to the enterprises.


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Class struggle in the first half of November 2018



Protest rally in Kamchatka

In early November, more than a hundred workers of the Ametistovoe mining and processing plant engaged in gold mining went on strike. The strikers demanded an increase in salaries. For some of them, it was humiliatingly low - near the subsistence minimum.
The bosses of the most active strikers deprived them of work.
- We are fired and others will be fired! The administration has a hand on the pulse and people are using the stick and carrot method, ”said one of the workers of Amethyst. They took telephones from the strikers, blocked the Internet so that they would not report the situation to journalists.
The Amethystvoe enterprise is part of the Kamchatka Gold company and in fact belongs to billionaire oligarch Vekselberg.

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Successful strike in Chelyabinsk

On November 2, urban public transport workers went on strike. The  drivers started began the action. The strikers demanded payment of wage arrears. Some of the employees did not receive money even for August. The debt to employees exceeded the amount of 16 million rubles.
The head of the enterprise, D. Kholod, came to the strikers and tried to persuade them to stop the action.
The strikers partly achieved their goal. They were paid wage arrears for August and September. Many admitted that after that for the first time in two months they had eaten normally.

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Strike in the Orenburg region

From October 31 to November 2, a strike took place at the Rodina poultry farm located in the Sorochinsky District. Workers and other employees of the company, who have not been paid since August, organized a street picket.

As payment they were offered chicken. The one that is not the first month is kept on a very meager ration. Before that, almost 200 thousand pieces pledged to the bank and died of starvation were simply burned in furnaces.
- We have a strike on the failure to pay wages. Today is the third day from 8 to 17 standing in the territory adjacent to the factory. A district prosecutor came to us, accused that the strike was taking place in an unidentified form. Although all the notifications we filed in advance. But the fact that we invited television, supposedly equates our event to a rally. On November 22, an arbitration court will be held over the bankruptcy of the factory. We are comforted - everything will be fine, but we understand that everything is going towards liquidation. Those who have wholesale buyers, choose the chicken wages. Although by law, payment in kind can be no more than 20 percent. But otherwise you can be left with nothing. And so you sell 100 pieces - you will return your 20 thousand. I also took a little, but I have no one to sell the birds to in large quantities, ”said Andrey Aksenov, head of the initiative group, on November 2. Chronic salary delay at this enterprise began in the spring of 2018. The first strike, by people who owed a total of 2.4 million rubles, was organized in August. Then the workers received money for the previous three months.


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Protest in Yakutia

On November 6, employees of an agrofirm located in the Khangalassky district of the republic began a strike. The livestock breeders, potato growers, tractor drivers and machine operators did not come to their workplaces.
The strikers are demanding that measures be taken to preserve the agricultural enterprise and reinstate the former director N. Fedotov, who, according to them, brought the economy to a profitable level and restored confidence in the future. Workers fear that the new chief will bring the agrofirm to bankruptcy, and in the end, the agrofirm will be sold for a pittance.

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Successful strike in Armenia

On the morning of November 8, workers of the locomotive depot in Leninakan (Gyumri) organized a strike. They did not serve the trains, including the train plying to Yerevan.
The protest was organized because of the reduction in the size of the wage premiums for October. The workers declared that the strike would continue until their demands to return these bonuses were met.
It should be noted that on November 5, employees of the "South Caucasus Railway" blocked the way Yerevan-Shorzha in the section of the village Tsovagyuh. They were unhappy with the deprivation of bonuses, as they work at any time of the year, including overtime.
The protest rally in Gyumri was crowned with success: workers were given remuneration.

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London tube workers strike

On November 7, a 24-hour strike was held in the British capital. It was organized by workers of the local subway.
The strike was associated with industrial confusion, the lack of a sufficient number of drivers, abuse by superiors and harassment of union members.
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Protest in Argentina

On November 8, a strike by workers of two airlines took place in the country. 111 flights were canceled. Pilots, representatives of ground and technical staff at the time of departures held general meetings.
The protest was caused by the fact that the companies did not issue salaries to employees in October and do not fulfill the agreements on monthly indexation reached in 2017 in accordance with the rate of inflation.

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In Poland, a picket was held in defense of a dismissed trade union activist

On November 7, a protest rally was held in front of the store of a retail chain in the city of Rzeszow. The picket was held under the slogan “Stop persecution for trade union activities!” To support the dismissed from the sales network of Agatu Stshalkovsk in Rzeszow, more than 50 trade union activists from different parts of Poland arrived.
- Agatha Stshalkovsk interceded for the store workers, and a criminal case was opened against her. This is bullying and harassment for trade union activities. Today they oppress her, and tomorrow they will take on other activists,” one of the protesters said.