"The working class, its role and
its mission today.
The tasks and concrete experiences of the Communist Party in the working class
and the trade union."
Brussels, 16-18 May 2008
www.icsbrussels.org , ics@icsbrussels.org
The situation of the workers in Russia and the work of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation with the workers and the trade unions
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
Sergei I. Seregin
Comrades!
First of all, allow me to express words of gratitude to the organizer of this international seminar - the Workers Party of Belgium
For the Communist party of the Russian Federation the working class is and will remain the core of the social base. From the moment of the congress, re-establishing the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in 1993, our party’s work in the trade union organizations, with labour collectives, associations of workers is considered to be one of the major directions of its activity.
The exploiting classes have been liquidated in the state which was created by the Great October Socialist Revolution. In 1930 an end was put on unemployment and the last labour exchange was also closed. During it's many years of existence, the Soviet state protected the workers by its legislation and in the daily practice of the executive authority. The Soviet trade unions, of which almost all workers were members, were the first of all the bodies of industrial self-management. Incorporated in the All-Union Central Council of Trade unions, trade unions possessed huge material resources. They had the right to participate in the management of the enterprises, in the decision making process of many industrial questions. Disputed situations in the enterprises, between separate workers or divisions and administration, were resolved as a rule by joint efforts of bodies of the trade unions, the Soviet authority and the CPSU. In this process the workers’ requests were given priority. The role of the trade union organizations, whose members were also the heads of the enterprises, was frequently reduced to the control of performance of requirements of the legislation over work, the organization of the holidays of the workers and the maintenance of their spiritual and cultural development.
Such care for the workers on the part of the socialist state strengthened their confidence in the future, but at the same time generated social passivity and dependence among a significant part of our fellow citizens. The class character of the trade unions was dim. These moods have been skillfully used by the opponents of socialism. Members of trade unions were put under pressure to leave the ranks of the organizations – they were told that trade unions "only collect membership dues, not giving anything instead". Unfortunately, the trade union organizations and their leaders frequently confirmed themselves these accusations with their actions or their inactivity. Restorers of capitalism managed to involve a significant part of the workers in this destructive process. The workers were torn off from the carrier of ideology of the working class – the communist party, and the party - from its social base, labour collectives and wide associations of workers - the trade-union organizations.
After the destruction of the socialist state the right to work guaranteed by the Constitution of the USSR has been replaced in bourgeois Russia by the constitutional interdiction of compulsion to work. The working class has been shattered, demoralized and in part lost its class role. This was promoted by the social and economic situation in the country. Many enterprises of hi-tech branches have practically been destroyed. Russia turned to be a furnisher of raw materials, an appendage of the leading capitalist states.
The practice of lock-out has appeared and is common today. Employers do not declare cessation of work of the enterprise, or reduction of the numbers of workers. Delivery of tasks for workplaces simply stops, idle times on fault of the administration are not registered, and the workers (not just industrial, but workers of any other enterprises) remain without work and sources of existence. Thus legally they are registered as working for this enterprise. With the help of this trick the administration of the enterprises (irrespective of the form of ownership) refrains from execution of procedures of dismissal of workers with observance of the Labour Code of the country. It is a common practice now to engage into employment without official registration of labour relations, the duration of the working day established by the law is regularly broken, child labour is being used. Employers do not hesitate to advertise publicly the vacancies with discrimination restrictions on age and sex.
The minimal wage in Russia is 2300 roubles. It is no more than 55 % of the living minimum which is equal to 4197 roubles. The amount of dollar billionaires in Russia in 2008 has exceeded the number of 100, and there are more than 130.000 millionaires. 10 % of the poorest part of the population have incomes 17 times less than 10 % of the richest part. In 2002 the Code of Laws on Work, adopted in the socialist Russia, has been replaced with the new Labour Code.
Workers and trade unions protested against the acceptance of this Labour Code. In July 2001 the Communist Party of the Russian Federation organized a protest action in the whole Russia on the day of acceptance of the Labour Code in the State Duma. On 2001, July 5th more than three thousand people gathered in Moscow at the building of the State Duma. The traffic on the central streets of Moscow had been blocked. As a result of the action the authorities created the conciliatory commission in which representatives of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions (FITU) of Russia have been included, along with the representatives of the Government and the State Duma. The trade unions, which are not included in FITU, have not been admitted into this commission. Due to the conciliatory position of the leadership of FITU the rights of workers have been essentially limited, the rights of trade unions on protection of workers in such situations as the change of essential working conditions, dismissal, illness, etc are liquidated.
Under conditions of increasing antagonistic class contradictions the trade-union movement in Russia is heterogeneous and divided. There is a number of associations of trade unions: the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FITU), the Confederation of Work of Russia (CWR), the All-Russia Confederation of Work (ARCW). There is also an Association of trade unions of civil aircraft.
FITU, CWR, ARCW and the Association of trade unions of civil aircraft are members of the Russian Tripartite commission on regulation of social - labour relations. Besides that, they all are members of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, and are submitted to the management of this confederation.
FITU is the successor of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions, and it counts about 35 million of members. The management of the FITU has been replaced after the shooting of the parliament of the country in October 1993 and, as a rule, is guided by the government and the President of the country, frequently acting from anticommunist positions. The reason is that during the privatization in Russia significant actives were handed in the possession of functionaries then working for the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions. A big group of these functionaries today heads FITU. That explains the position of these leaders - a position of owners in relation to the hired workers.
Every time when the problem of the restriction of the rights of wage laborers arise, the leaders of FITU begin with completely fair statements about the inadmissibility of these restrictions, but then under the guise of "conciliation procedures" they recede, not forgetting to get some concessions for their own structures.
Here the most fresh example. On 2008, April 28th the Trade Union of Locomotive brigades of the Railwaymen, belonging to the Confederation of work of Russia, has carried out a daily strike, demanding from the employer (Open Society « Russian railways ») equality for workers in payment – related questions and the termination of discrimination concerning members of trade unions. The chairman of FITU M.V.Shmakov, commenting events, has declared, that the demands of the railwaymen are correct, but strike is not the way to achieve them. Especially because the workers have not obeyed the requirements of the law that is limiting and actually forbidding strikes. He has suggested to await for now the modifications in the law and to search for compromises.
Having rejected to launch a hard, practical struggle for the workers’ rights, FITU has concentrated on the principle of social partnership of the executive authority and the employers. But this partnership assumes equality of the parties, which are recognizing the necessity of reaching coordinated decisions. Meanwhile the owners and the state not only do not aspire to equality in relations with the workers, but also constantly worsen their position, reduce hi-tech workplaces, do not combat unemployment and have legalized the poverty of workers. Trade unions that do not want to oppose the dictatorship of the owners by mass actions in various forms, inevitably turn from full participants of negotiations into pity beggars.
The VI th congress of FITU that took place in Moscow at the end of 2006, has shown, that the leadership of the federation can no longer avoid an objective estimation of the social and economic course of the authorities. However, even after having declared a fair estimation and the need for radical changes (that completely coincides with the position of Communist party of the Russian Federation), the supervising body of the countries largest association of trade unions has not offered to the workers any concrete program of actions. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation has such a program, and our duty is to make it known within the wide trade-union public, in order to involve workers in the resolving of these problems.
The Confederation of Workers of Russia includes trade unions of locomotive brigades of railwaymen, seamen, dockers, pilots and unites approximately 1,5 million members. This Confederation cooperates already a number of years with the Communist Party of the Russian Federation on a broad range of questions. From support of demands of concrete collectives and trade union organizations and up to mass actions in protection of the rights of workers. An attempt of owners of the enterprises of the Novorossiysk sea trading port, to get rid from "undesirable" trade unions in order to create their own "pocket" trade-union organization, has been beaten off together with the trade union of workers of sea transport. Together with the trade union organization a liquidation of the Murmansk fishing port has been prevented. Thanks to the actions of the workers' collective (pickets, meetings, a stop of work), maintained by the local organization of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and the parliamentary opportunities of the fraction of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in the State Duma.
The Association of Trade unions of Civil Aircraft (Trade union of workers of engineering aviation services, trade union of pilots, trade union of air traffic controllers, radionavigators and communication workers, Federal trade union of airdispatchers) also closely cooperates with the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. The head of this association V.D.Kurochkin is a candidate for the State Duma of Russia for the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
In December, 2002 the Federal trade union of air traffic controllers, after receiving no from the employers in negotiations on the conclusion of the tariff agreement, has carried out a powerful protest action. Under the Russian legislation strikes in the branches of transportation are forbidden. Therefore air traffic controllers have declared a hunger-strike in the majority of the airports of the country. Our party does not consider a hunger-strike to be the right mean of the struggle. We esteem that this form is passive and looks like an attempt to move employers to pity, while they will gladly agree with the death of a worker for the sake of profit. However the actions of the air traffic controllers were offensive rather than defensive, as each air traffic controller has to pass a medical examination before beginning his work duties, and will be discharged of work in case of any health problems. Thus, air traffic controllers stopped working, while not technically breaking the law. The authorities (and the state is the employer of the air traffic controllers), have tried to strangle this action. The air traffic controllers were sent off from the premises of the airports by force, judgements forbade the hunger-strikes and have tried to enter this norm into the legislation. The air traffic controllers were broadly supported by the communists. In Rostov–on-the-Don the air traffic conttrollers had to abandon a place of protest action - the air terminal - as there was a so-called " bomb alarm on the premises". All the hunger strikers were expelled into the street. But the regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation has offered the protesters premises. Deputies of the fraction of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in the State Duma have actively supported the fair demands of the air workers. The regional organizations of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation have organized mass petitions of citizens to the President and the Government of the country in support of air traffic controllers. The action has come to the end successfully , with the signing of a tariff agreement between the employer and the trade union. Similar actions in the form of working « by the rules » were carried out also by other trade unions, which are included in this association. Now employers in civil aircraft do not risk to lead the labour disputes up to sharp conflicts. At the end of 2007 a new tariff agreement between the Association of trade unions of civil aircraft and the Association of the employers has been signed, that has satisfied the requirements of workers.
The All-Russia Confederation of Workers, that includes the Independent trade union of miners, a number of trade unions of nonferrous metallurgy (with 1 million members) keeps a wary- waiting position in relation to the cooperation with communists. The reason for that is that the Independent trade union of miners has played a significant role in counter-revolutionary coup of 1991 in the Soviet Union. Its leadership till now does not accept that the negative consequences of the overthrow of the Soviet Power for the workers, lay also upon the conscience of active members of this trade union. The main motto of this and of some other trade unions is: « Trade unions are outside of politics! ».
Unfortunately, a number of really independent trade unions refuses interaction with the Communist Party of the Russian Federation under influence of the false fear to become « a driving belt of the party ». It does not prevent them to resort to the help of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and its local organizations. One of such trade unions is the trade union of the Ford factory in Vsevolozhsk. While carrying out a strike in 2007, this trade union has accepted the help of the Chairman of the Central Committee of Communist Party of the Russian Federation G.A. Zyuganov, and the deputies of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, in the legislative organs. However, during the elections it has not dared to declare publicly about the support of the communists
A Center of Social and Labour Researches has been created, together with associations of workers, in order to simplify the contacts with the trade unions that are not ready to contact the communist party directly.
In a number of regions (Republic Dagestan and Tatarstan, the Altay, Krasnodar, Far East, Lipetsk, Novosibirsk, Tver, Tomsk regions, the cities of Saint Petersburgs and Moscow) leaders of regional and branch trade unions, including those within the FITU, have been put forward as candidates of the State Duma on the list of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
Communists obtain leading positions in the trade-union organizations of all levels. Heads of regional trade unions in the Altay and Krasnodar territories, many city, branch and primary trade-union organizations are members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Recently the militants of the trade unions, that actively cooperate with the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, started the process of becoming members of our party.
During the elections for the State Duma and the President of the Russian Federation 12 all-Russian trade unions have officially supported candidates from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. The agreement of support has been signed publicly, and many correspondents of electronic and printed mass media were present at these events. However, under the order of the authorities no mass-media reported about it, except for the newspapers "Pravda", « Soviet Russia » and the Internet - site kprf.ru.
Comrades, I would not like to create an impression that the work of our party in the trade-union movement and labour collectives is fully successful. As in all countries where the bourgeoisie rules, trade unions are rather shy to establish contacts with communists. Leaders of a significant number of trade unions are connected by many strings to the capitalist class. At the same time, these leaders do feel the pressure from below. Members of trade unions propose to replace such leaders who take conciliatory positions, or to create new trade unions. At the same time we should approach cautiously the creation of these new trade unions as far from all workers understand, what is their difference from already existing trade unions. They count on these unions, on their assistance in the struggle against employers (in relation to the salary, the working day, dismissals, etc.). Just left wing slogans alone, not supported by real actions of protection of workers, will not convince people.
Today workers in Russia face the problem of working at the enterprises of transnational corporations. For example the enterprises " Ford ", "Caterpillar" and other corporations, that are using the labour market in Russia, workers can see, that colonial working conditions have been created for them. In relation to this, it is important for us to establish effective cooperation with trade unions of those countries where these enterprises of transnational corporations operate. Several years ago in Open Society " Brewing company " Baltic " (Saint Petersburg) the bosses have tried to stop the activity of trade union of agriculture. Taking into account, that Swedes owns the 82,19 % of the shares of Baltic Beverages Holding AB, the leadership of the Russian trade union whose leader is the communist A.S.Davidov, have entered into negotiations with the trade union of workers of the Swedish company and joint efforts have removed the threat.
On the XIII-th Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation the Chairman of our party G.A.Zyuganov has declared, that « for a party which conducts struggle for power and does not agree with a role of court opposition » the strengthening of the work with trade unions and public organizations is the most urgent task. Just as hundred years ago the Communist Party of the Russian Federation aspires « to set forward and to finish the task of struggle for unity of the trade-union movement, while remembering, that this task is the best means of covering the millions of masses of the working class. For it is impossible to seize the millions of masses of the proletariat, not having seized the trade unions and it is impossible to seize the trade unions without working in them and without getting the trust of the working masses in there month after month, year after year ». (I.V.Stalin, "Pravda" no. 66, March, 22nd , 1925)
In this work the truth of marxism - leninism, the objective reality of the situation of the workers and the comprehension by the working masses of the necessity of changing the social and economic system are on our side.
In the class struggle which we conduct, based on the Marxist-Leninist doctrine, various experience is important for us. Such meetings as this, are valuable also because they allow us "to verify our watches", and to operate more precisely in our concrete conditions.
Dear comrades! On behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation I wish all the participants of the International Communist Seminar strength of spirit and successes in our mutual struggle for the liberation of the working class.