Dear comrades,
 

The Russian Government and President Putin plan to hurry through the
State Duma a new barbarous anti-worker Labor Code which will leave our
working class without legal methods of struggle against the arbitrariness
of new proprietors and state authorities.

The governmental Draft Labor Code emancipates the employer from
the need to seek the trade union's consent for terminating the worker's
employment, its approval of work schedule and labor norms. This
Draft Labor Code effectively abolishes the 8-hour work day and legal
protection of trade-union activists from bosses' vengeance, legalizes
unlimited overtime work without overtime pay, weakens the protection of
working mothers with small children.

The labor code that the executive committee of the ruling class prepares
to impose on Russian workers throws them legally back to the times of
Tsarist Empire.  The newly elected President Putin has already announced
at the meeting with the deputies of the State Duma that the government's
Draft Labor Code would be send to the Duma in the near future and confidently
predicted that it would be adopted.

If adopted, this Labor Code will destroy the legal foundations of trade
union activities at the enterprise, all legal venues for defending the
rights of workers. Independent workers' organizations--the Alliance of
Trade Unions "Defense" and others--capable of combating the bourgeoisie will be
liquidated. This defeat of Russian workers may have grave consequences
for the outcome of the working class struggles all over the world.
The Alliance of Trade Unions "Defense" has been fighting this labor code bill for the
last four years and so far we managed to prevent it from passing. But
now this fight is going to be much harder for us, because the new State
Duma is more reactionary than the previous one.

We are preparing the All-Russian action in defense of the present Labor
Code.

On April 4, the Coordinating Committee of the All-Russian Campaign in
Defense of the Labor Code was established in Moscow.

On May 17, the Committee plans organize the Day of United Actions with
the following demands:

1. No  - to the Government's Labor Code, short-time contracts, and the arbitrariness of "owners" and authority!

2. Yes - to the Control of Workers Collectives in the Enterprise!

In this struggle, we count very much on international support from the
Left and progressive forces in general. This support may include the
coverage of this assault on the rights of the working class people in
mass media and the Internet, sending faxes and cables to the Russian
government and the State Duma deputies, picketing Russian embassies and
consulates.

If the government meets with a serious internal and international
resistance to its anti-labor legislation there is a good chance to fend
off this vicious attack of the Russian bourgeoisie.

We ask foreign comrades, labor unions, left and progressive organizations
for solidarity in this struggle.

At stake is the last remaining conquest of the October Revolution.
 

NO - TO CODE OF SLAVERY!  YES - TO CODE OF LABOR!

ESTABLISH CONTACTS WITH US!

COORDINATION COMMITTEE OF THE ALL-RUSSIAN ACTION
IN DEFENSE OF ACTING LABOR CODE:
 

1. A. Zaikina, Chairwoman of Trade-Union Commitee (Vyborg ZBK)

2. V.Tonny, vice-chairman of Trade-Union Commitee of Joint-Stock Company
"Leningrad Metal Factory "

3. A. Guan-Tin-Fa, chairman of Workers Council of "Yasnogorsk Machine-Building Plant"

4. O. Shein, Co-chairman of the Alliance of Workers Trade Unions "Defense of Labour"

5. V. Gamov, Co-chairman of the Alliance of Workers Trade Unions "Defense of Labour" (Institute of Experimental Physics, Sarov).

6. M. Popov,  Russian Workers` and Peasants` Party, Fund of Workers Academy

7. S. Baiborodova, Co-Chairwoman of the Alliance of Workers Trade Unions "Defense"
(Samara Region Chapter).

8. V. Shishkarev, adjuster from  Likhachev Car Plant, member of Moscow Workers Council.

9. T. Vedernikova, Chairwoman of the Local of the "Plant of Colour Printing ".

10. I. Kuznezov, member of the Executive Secretary of Siberian Confederation of Labour.

11. D. Symakin, Co-Chairman of the Alliance "Defense" (SpezGBI, Astrakhan).

12. A. Lashin, member of Soviet of Interregional Union of the workers.

13. V. Shamin, Vice-Chairman of the Trade Union  "Defence" (Lykinsky Bus Factory).

14. D. Igoshin, Chairman of Workers Council (factory "Red Sormovo").

15. S. Sychyov, Chairman of the "Defence - Center" Local at the Moscow Ball-Bearing Plant.

16. A. Nikolaev, Chairman of the National Executive Committee of the Congress of Councils of  Workers, Peasants, Specialist, and White-Collar Workers.

17. V. Karachyov, Chairman of the "Defense" Local at "Assembler", Kirov.
 

OUR ADDRESSES:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Oleg Shein,
Deputy,
State Duma of Russian Federation,
Okhotnyi Ryad 1,
Moscow 103265,  Russia
Ph.: (095) 292-98-38; phone/fax: 292-89-06.
193060, St.-Petersburg, Smolnyi, room 441,

M.Popov,
Fund of Workers Academy,
Tel. (812) 279-8717,
fax. 272-7326.