2 November, 2009
Over 100 participants from Russian trade unions, labour academia, national and regional governments, scientists, and business leaders gathered on 12 October in a Gazprom conference room in Moscow to mark the Tenth Anniversary of creation of a vertically-integrated trade union structure.
That structure is part of ICEM affiliate, the national Russian Oil, Gas, and Construction Workers Union (ROGWU), representing the gas company’s workers. They were joined by delegations from oil and gas trade unions from Belarus, France, Norway, Romania, and Serbia, as well as ICEM Energy Officer Jim Catterson, who represented the Global Union Federation (GUF).
The event coincided with a major trade union conference entitled “Innovations in the Russian Trade-Union Movement: Practice and Problems.” The conference was opened by Vladimir Babkin, President of the Inter-regional Trade Union of Gazprom and a Vice President of ROGWU. Following an extensive opening session, the conference broke into two working groups where participants discussed trade union structures, and their current objectives and challenges.
Wide-ranging presentations were heard as participants from Russia and abroad shared their experiences in social dialog and social partnership work, employee representation, and social and labour rights protection.
Catterson gave a presentation that covered ICEM work on social dialog throughout the world, with a particular focus on Global Framework Agreements in the oil and gas industry. The presentations generated considerable discussion and debate that led to a series of draft conclusions that were adopted at a final plenary meeting of the conference, conclusions that will be published by ROGWU in the near future.
During a break in the conference proceedings, foreign participants were given a tour of parts of Gazprom’s complex in Moscow, including the dispatch area.
Following a discussion on the gas resources of the Russian Federation and future plans regarding production and new pipelines, participants were shown the computerized dispatch room. Here, in front of a screen covering an entire wall, computer operators working on a host of terminals ensure the optimal movement of gas from fields in western and central Siberia through the complex network of Russian pipelines, as well as the export pipelines to and across Europe. The tour of the facility was given by the manager of the unit and the workers’ trade union representative. It generated a lively and interesting discussion.
ICEM hopes that the conference will help to increase social dialog within the company at the global level that will involve the GUF and our affiliates, since the company is expanding operations in both gas and oil globally.