22 October, 2013IndustriALL congratulates its Russian affiliate Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA) with a victory through a successful strike at auto part producer Antolin plant in St. Petersburg.
According to the ITUA the strike started on 15 October after a long going bargaining, in which the management chose the tactics of procrastination and finally stoppage of the negotiations in a unilateral way in the beginning of September.
The main workers demands included increase of wages above inflation rate, improvement of working conditions, higher rate for night shift work, payment of compensations for harmful working conditions.
The union tried to renew the negotiations through a ‘work-to-rule’ action in the beginning of September. The two-day action however did not bring the employer to the table of negotiations and having exhausted all other legal means the union decided for an industrial action.
Despite psychological pressure, the management even called the riot police to be present during the strike, workers remained united and resolute. The night shift stopped the work at 22:45 and the strikers announced they would not leave the territory of the plant until their demands are met.
The strike brought management back to negotiations, which started at 6 pm on 16 October and finished almost four and half hours later. The negotiations resulted in a signed agreement among others including the clauses on:
- the strikers will not be subject to any punishment;
- meeting of the labour collective to elect collective bargaining committee will take place on 24 October;
- before 1 November the management considers workers’ proposal about increase of wages above inflation rate and the bargaining starts after that.
Plastic parts production facility in St. Petersburg is part of the Spanish Grupo Antolin, major supplier of automotive companies. The plant in Saint Petersburg employs about 150 workers. Approximately half of them are members of ITUA.