NEW UNITY OF WORKERS

Interview with Yuri Sharipov, Vladimir Vodolazov and Igor Muravyev on the first preliminary results of the crane strike in Kazan in July-August 2019.

Corr .: So much time has already passed, soon there will be a month, what are the first results of the first month of the cranemen’s stubborn struggle for their fundamental interests and what has been achieved?

Yu. Sh .: What did we manage to achieve:

     On July 24, one of the companies agreed to raise the salary to 350 rubles per hour. The management made concessions, only a few hours after the cranes stopped. However, later management backtracked and refused to fulfill their words. They said so bluntly: "if there were more of you, we would have agreed to negotiations, but there are few of you, so you yourself understand." This suggests, on the one hand, that the collective stop has worked, on the other, that the employer is not keeping his word. We are preparing for the next wave in order to make it clear that words need to be kept.

    In some firms, the owners caved in, albeit to insignificant, but raising salaries.
    A number of firms switched over to an 8-hour working day and agreed to pay for overtime work, according to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.
    SOUT appeared in the contracts, insurance appeared.
    We were heard by supervisory authorities and began to conduct checks. Recall that before that we were absolutely ignored for two years. Therefore, we need to further strengthen the union and prepare for a new stage in the struggle. Practice has shown that as soon as we act collectively, the state and bosses take us seriously. The very fact that the bodies began to stir is already an achievement. The owners of the cranes began to reckon with us and communicate more culturally, respectfully.
    None of the protesters was actually fired! No one was fined or suspended. This suggests that the employer is bluffing, trying to scare and demoralize us by any means. Our example shows that these words do not have real weight.
    We made a huge fuss in the media. The whole country found out about us, the news reached the leadership of Tatarstan and Russia. We attracted great attention to problems in the construction industry, to the monstrous working conditions of crane operators and the outrage in the field of maintenance of cranes.
    We were supported by workers from various fields from all over the country. Crane workers from other cities, inspired by our example, embark on a struggle in their regions! Now work has begun on the creation of union cells in other cities. The whole country is proud of the Kazan crane operators, who, having gathered courage, decided to collectively fight for their dignity!
    We have proved to everyone that the worker, the crane operator, is not a slave. There is a tremendous power in our working hands, and, using this power correctly, we will change a lot and make our life more worthy.

This action, thus, yielded certain results. Further, our goal is to achieve the fulfillment of the requirements that were originally stated. To do this, we have a strategy and action plan. Everyone will stand up. Go for the victory!

Corr .: Are there any losses (i.e. dismissed for performances) among crane operators?

Yu. Sh .: There are no real dismissals for the speech. There are people who decided not to "butt" and quit "of their own free will." But now there was information that some companies decided to "survive" the crane operators who took part in this action. Employers are afraid of the slightest manifestations of activity and are trying to protect themselves from possible performances tomorrow.

Corr .: Did the number (number) of members of your union decrease or increase?

Yu. Sh .: No, the quantity has not changed yet. Neither one way or the other. The overall activity has decreased, but this is against the background of rumors circulating about the alleged defeat of the union in the struggle and some of the activists have changed. But this is normal, after such a serious action.

Corr .: How significant was the assistance of the MPRA trade union, its leadership, can you name them and what kind of help did they provide?

Yu. Sh .: Yes, the leadership of the MPRA provided us with tremendous help. And even if this doesn’t seem important from the outside, it’s really a big help in creating and maintaining the information component of our action. The entire flow of information is processed and posted in VK and on other platforms with the help of a team of information officers from the MPRA. Plus, before the start of the campaign, asset training, assistance in developing a performance strategy, advice and support during the campaign.

Corr .: What can you say today about the role of collective struggle?

Yu. Sh .: Everything is simple. Only collective action will help us succeed.

Corr .: You demand compliance with the established Labor Code of the Russian Federation normal working hours and working weeks, and now there is a heated discussion throughout Russia about working hours, for example, the oligarch Prokhorov recently demanded a 12-hour working day, and the Russian Committee of Workers (RKR) For a long time already requires switching to 6 hours. salary-saving working day, what do you think about this?

Yu. Sh .: Unfortunately, we would now have to achieve compliance with the Labor Code. And not just to achieve, but also to maintain this state. Becausethey can promise us anything, but to fulfill it is a completely different conversation. When we can say that this issue has been resolved, then we will proceed to consider other initiatives.

Corr .: Do you intend to continue the struggle and unite your struggle with the struggle of workers in other regions of Russia, for example, annually, twice a year - in spring and autumn, workers' representatives gather in Nizhny Novgorod to exchange experiences and coordinate their struggle? Are you going to participate there or delegate your representatives there?

Yu. Sh .: Of course, we want unification. It’s just that we and other workers and engineers need time to unite our positions. As for the MPRA trade union, as part of it, it is a member of the KTR trade union (Confederation of Labor of Russia), which also includes the Federal Aviation Administration (Federal Air Traffic Control Unions), the Action union, which unites medical workers, the Teacher union and other trade union organizations in throughout Russia.

As for the participation or delegation of our representative, in fact, to resolve this issue, a separate meeting of the trade union should be held. But we still have unresolved problems that need to be devoted a lot of attention. But at the trade union committee we will certainly discuss this issue and see at what meeting to raise and consider it.

Corr .: What are your relations with the members of the Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and other parties, including the Workers Party of Russia?

Yu. Sh .: Only representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation responded to our appeal to various public and party organizations a year ago. All the others either said nothing about our appeal, or dissuaded themselves from a misunderstanding of the subject. We did not know about the Workers' Party of Russia a year ago, however, with the beginning of our action, the members of this party give us their support to the extent that they can provide it.

Corr .: And how much do you consider from your own experience necessary these relations with various parties?

Yu. Sh .: Any communication makes us stronger. As we have said more than once, if a person is talking to us, even if speaking against us, we have a chance to convince him. And anyone who fully supports us, but does not tell us anything about it, he is invisible to us, because we know nothing about him. My personal opinion is that any communication is good.

Interview took B. Abiddinov, a member of the RPR