9 February, 2011In response to pressure from Jura Corp Russia, ITUA activists held a picket and called for solidarity. The management received numerous faxes from unions and other organizations including the IMF. The company was warned by the District Attorney. As a result, Jura announced it was ready to engage in talks with the union.
RUSSIA: Management of the Jura Corporation RUS (Ivangorod, Saint-Petersbourg area) is ready to engage in talks with the Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA) affiliated to the IMF, announced company Director Rhee Ohn Sog in a letter to the ITUA President Alexey Etmanov.
In November 2010 a union local was founded at the Jura plant in Ivangorod, which supplies wiring to the Hyundai operation in Saint-Petersbourg. In two months 200 workers out of 750 joined the new union affiliated to ITUA.
When the administration learned about the union, it began threatening the workers with closing the plant, mass dismissals and bonus reduction. The management also tried to force the workers into creating a "yellow" union controlled by the administration. Despite all this a hundred workers at the union meeting on January 12 almost unanimously (with one abstained) voted against leaving ITUA. However the next day the management pulled out the workers one by one and pressured them. As a result, some of them signed the statements about leaving ITUA prepared by the management.
The union launched a campaign of solidarity with its local under fire from the administration. Company Director Rhee Ohn Sog received numerous faxes, one of them was sent by IMF Regional Representative Vadim Borisov.
On January 21 the plant was visited by District Attorney Igor Federov and his staff. President of the union local Viktor Makhnov and Company Director Rhee Ohn Sog took part in a meeting with District Attorney. Fedorov demanded that the company followed Russian laws which guarantee freedom of association. He also maintained that the company faced an investigation from the District Attorney's office. The management was forced to recognize the union and deny speculations about moving the plant and mass dismissals.
On January 22 Jura workers held a picket in Kingisepp (Saint-Petersbourg area). Over 20 people took part in this action. Jura workers were supported by unionists from Ford, leftist groups and a media outlet Aurora-TV, which prepared a video story about the picket. Protesters chanted: "Stop the pressure, the union's not a crime!", "De facto, de jure - recognize the local, Jura". The picket was attended by the District Attorney and a number of journalists. Korean managers, who also witnessed the picket, refused to comment.
On January 27 ITUA President Alexey Etmanov sent a letter to the Company Director Rhee Ohn Sog offering to meet and try to resolve the conflict at the plant. On Feburary 8 Etmanov received a reply: Rhee Ohn Sog announced that the company was ready to engage in talks with the union.
ITUA views positively the response and hopes for the peaceful resolution of the conflict.
IMF will watch the situation at the plant closely, and continue to support the workers and their union.