6 February, 2009Unions call for immediate investigations into assaults and threats against ITUA leaders and activists.
RUSSIA: The International Metalworkers' Federation and its affiliates remain seriously concerned about the safety of trade union leaders and activists in Russia following a series of attacks and threats.
In the most recent incident, violent threats were made against Eugeny Ivanov, leader of the ITUA local union at the GM plant near St. Petersburg. One week after the trade union organization at the facility was founded on 12 January 2009, Eugeny and his family began receiving anonymous phone calls threatening aggression if he continued his trade union activity.
Despite having notified police of the threats, on February 8 Eugeny was assaulted near his home, requiring treatment for concussion.
This is not the first time threats were followed by reprisals towards ITUA union activists. In June and July 2008, Alexei Gramm and Sergey Bryzgalov were attacked in Taganrog and in November 2008 the union leader Alexey Etmanov in Vsevolozhsk was assaulted following similar threats.
So far the IMF has not received any clear indication that the authorities have commenced proper and thorough investigations in any of the cases. The IMF joins with its affiliates in an appeal to the Russian authorities and heads of law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation, urging them to carefully, thoroughly and promptly investigate all threats and attacks on our brothers and sisters, union leaders and activists, and to punish those who ordered and carried out these acts.