Overview of the labor movement in the second half of December 2019

 Strike in Kostroma

On December 18, 2019, a protest rally was held at a local shipyard. It was organized by workers who, by the time the strike began, did not receive a salary for October and November.

The director justified himself by the fact that delays in the issuance of earnings are connected "with the reorganization of the company."

Earlier, the shipyard authorities already had great debts to the workers. Then, only after the intervention of the prosecutor’s office, a part of the detained money was paid.



Workers' strike in the Altai Territory

On December 24, stokers organized a strike at the Blagoveshchensk regional center. The workers took extreme measures - they lowered the temperature of the coolant to the minimum values ​​(about +15 ° C) due to the fact that for six months already Altaiteploservice delayed the payment of wages.

“We have a CEO, but he is in Pavlodar. He promises us that he will come, he will pay, but already from December 6 he’s going, he still won’t get there. The district administration is aware of the situation, but does not take any measures, ”one of the stokers explained.

According to local authorities, Altayteploservice's debt to employees by the time the strike began was about 400 thousand rubles.



"Italian" strike in Leningrad

On December 17, a week has passed since the protest rally of tram drivers began. They decided to comply with all requirements and instructions as much as possible - thereby holding an "Italian strike." The protest rally led to serious disruptions in traffic.

Employees of Gorelektrotrans were forced to start a strike due to tightening of the rules. Drivers installed continuous video surveillance. Any, even minor misconduct is fraught with loss of premium. Moreover, the rules themselves are absurd and contradict each other. “We carry out flights not only for our salaries, but also for the benefit of the city, the enterprise and the transport committee. And only we are to blame for all the misfortunes. Therefore, we decided to play by their rules and lose revenue mutually, ”said one of the activists.

The main requirement of the strike participants is to change the approach to pay. Now the salary of workers depends on the number of flights completed. Such a system forces drivers to race around the city, which leads to accidents and accidents.

In 2019, 12 people were killed under the wheels of trams and trolleybuses. Drivers have blame for this, but often the reasons are related to decisions of the leadership and city authorities, the union said.

“People should not die under wheels, especially public transport. Our main goal is to organize the work in such a way that the employee has a chance not to always be extreme and guilty, and there is no fear for losing his salary. A tram should not run around the city just because the size of the driver’s wages depends on it, ”said the chairman of the union.



Picket of Moscow workers

On December 23, a protest rally was held near the entrance of the Karacharovsky Mechanical Plant. The workers had numerous questions for the bosses. Employees of the enterprise opposed its forced bankruptcy and further liquidation.

A scandalous situation unfolds around the elevator factory. The bankruptcy case, the lawsuit of which was filed in July 2019, has not only not been terminated for five months, but has also grown by another creditor bank. The company ended 2018 with a multi-million dollar loss, and the chair of the general director cannot be divided between two people, which also does not add stability.

Today the plant provides jobs for over 1 thousand people. Some people do not like this, and therefore attempts are being made to destroy another Russian industrial enterprise and reduce the number of working class representatives in Moscow.



Abroad

In France, crowded protests against pension reform continue

On December 23, 2019, transport workers actively joined the strike against the authorities' plans. As a result, the number of flights of high-speed trains connecting major cities of the country was more than halved. In the Paris metro on Monday, only two lines operated stably.

Protests against the pension reform project have been ongoing in France since early December.



In Chile, large-scale protests against the country's president do not cease

On December 21 and 22, in many cities, people again took to the streets to once again express their indignation with the policies of the authorities.

During one of the demonstrations, a doll depicting President Pinhera, who enjoys the support of US ruling circles, was publicly burned.

Protests and clashes with police began in Santiago on October 14, when authorities decided to increase the cost of the metro. Later demonstrations swept other cities. The unrest led to the introduction of an emergency in several regions of the country, the dismissal of individual ministers.



Belgium daily strike

On December 20, a massive 24-hour strike began in the country. CarsShy and other railroad workers took part in a protest rally demanding higher salaries and better working conditions. Belgian specialized unions demanded an increase in employee earnings by 1.1 percent. Among other requirements are the provision of a greater number of specialists with permanent contracts, the introduction of a uniform wage structure for all employees and the preservation of a 36-hour work week.



Mass riots in India

On December 23, at least 139 people were detained over the past day by police in central New Delhi for attempting to rally against new amendments to the Citizenship Law.

According to these data, most of the detainees are women. All of them were released by the evening of the same day. Police justified themselves by the fact that detention was a necessary measure, since a ban on mass gatherings and demonstrations was introduced.

In addition to the capital, protests against the new citizenship law, which is fraught with aggravation of interethnic relations in the country, continued in other cities of India.