28 February, 2009Tired of lies and humiliation from their employers workers occupy one of Ukraine's biggest and oldest agricultural factories in a bid to keep it open.
UKRAINE: Workers at a harvesting machine plant in Kherson, in southern Ukraine have taken over their factory. The plant seizure is the culmination of a two week protest which began in January when management tried to close the factory.
Besides payment of their wages, the workers are calling for state authorities to nationalise the enterprise and to freeze the bank accounts of its owner.
They also want the state to guarantee an order of product from the plant so that they can keep the factory running.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the factory has changed hands and gone into arrears on wages many times. Workers have borne the brunt of failure of different owners to keep afloat the 120 year old machinery plant with a rich history.
In 2006 a worker hung himself at the plant after a succession of struggles with management over unpaid wages. It was only after his death and the angry reaction of other workers that management paid wages.
At the end of 2007 a new owner Alexander Oleinik bought the plant. The enterprise in Kherson became a subdivision of the other plant owned by Oleinik in Bila Tserkva (central Ukraine). Despite a promise to pay out arrears in wages the new owner decided to sell off Kherson enterprise piece by piece.
In March 2008 new arrears in wages appeared and in October management put workers onto a three day week and proposed them to sign their letters of resignation.
The IMF affiliated Automobile and Agricultural Machinery Workers' Union of Ukraine is supporting the workers, however current Ukrainian legislation limits their abilities.
The Ukrainian Government is discussing the possibility of leasing 50 harvesting machines.