27 March, 2012General Motors workers in Shushary (Saint-Petersburg area, Russia) secured a wage raise of 10.5 per cent starting from April 1, partly meeting the demands of the Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA).
RUSSIA: At workplace meetings on March 26 and 27, General Motors announced a wage raise of 10.5 per cent starting from April 1, partly meeting the demands of the local union of the IMF-affiliated Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA).
On February 1 the ITUA launched a campaign at GM with three demands: a 15 per cent wage adjustment for inflation in 2010 and 2011, extending the night shift bonus from 20 per cent to 40 per cent and introducing a monthly record of working time instead of an annual general record.
The ITUA states that despite the fact that the management refused to negotiate with the union, mass discontent of workers forced the management to make concessions.
In the early February the union began preparing for an industrial dispute. In one month more than 1,200 out of 2,400 workers signed the list of collective demands. According to the ITUA, the managers interfered in the collection of signatures, confiscated several signature sheets and put pressure on union activists.
On March 19 the union committee handed the signatures to the administration and offered to begin negotiations. On March 21 the management refused, citing formal reasons.
According to a letter from management, some workers who signed the demands had already left the plant, and other workers "wrote to the administration that the signatures were not theirs. At the same time the workers complained to the ITUA that the managers forced them to withdraw their signatures, threatening them with disciplinary action and lack of promotion.
In response to these measures the union began preparing for collective action. From March 20 to 27 shift meetings were held at the plant with several hundred workers present.
"The management's decision to raise wages was a response to the possible industrial action," states the ITUA representative. "Bearing in mind the workers' attitude, GM management could face a partial or full stoppage of production already in the early April."
"Unfortunately, the administration's refusal to negotiate with the union shows that it still takes exceptional measures instead of resolving the issues at the bargaining table. This recent wage hike doesn't even cover inflation level. The real wages continue to decrease, not to mention the extreme sweatshop-like work schedule and unacceptably low pay for working the night shifts," claims the ITUA union representative.