11 January, 2011Workers at the South Korean company, Yura Corporation Rus LLC, in Ivangorod, Russia formed a primary organization of the IMF affiliate Russian Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA).
RUSSIA: Over the last two months of 2010, about 200 workers joined the newly formed union. In total the South Korean company wiring supplier of the automaker Hyundai in Saint Petersburg employs about 750 workers from Ivangorod, Kingisepp, Slantsy and neighboring Estonia. Victor Makhno, the quality controller, was elected as a chairman of the primary organization.
The factory "Yura" was opened in January 2010 on the basis of the declined city backbone enterprise "Lenpoligraphmash". The decision to create a union by workers was due to low salaries currently around 11-12 thousand rubles (US$280 -- US$300), including bonuses, many problems in living and working conditions of employees, improper behaviour of managers, and non-compliance with many of the norms of the Russian labor legislation.
The ITUA notified South Korean trade unions of the establishment of the new union branch. Last year on December 12 Alexei Etamonv, ITUA chairman, met Yura workers in Ivangorod. The trade union hopes for a constructive cooperation between their new local and the management in dealing with the backlog of problems.