Russia: support the All-Russia Workers' Day of Action on 1 December against the reactionary new Labour Code
The All-Russia Campaign in Defence of the Present Labour Code consider international solidarity from workers around the world, individually and through their unions or other progressive organisations, as very, very important. Please sign the following letter.
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Dear President Putin,
As you know the second all-Russia Day of Action against your new draconian anti-union laws (Labour Code - KZot) takes place on December 1, 2000. The first protest on 17 May, brought out 300,000 workers across Russia.
Since the introduction of privatisation in Russia, workers and their families have suffered enormous hardship. They have seen the average male life expectancy plummet from western levels to just 56.
Non-payment of wages has become normal, schoolchildren have had to stay home because their schools cannot afford heating, diseases of poverty like tuberculosis have become epidemic, and all over the country people have been forced to live off what they can grow in their back plot.
Now, on top of all this suffering, your government intends to introduce a new Labour Code that will destroy basic rights held by workers for decades.
The new Labour Code, devised with the enthusiastic encouragement of the IMF will impose a system of casual labour everywhere, removing from the trade unions all power to act.
While at present workers cannot be legally fired if the union opposes it, the new Code will allow bosses to fire at will, as well as to spy on the private lives of workers, and blacklist any who have been active trade unionists.
The length of the working day will be increased from 8 to 12 hours, and employers will be able to impose a 56-hour week without overtime pay. Additionally the new Code legalises child labour and forces pregnant women to work night shifts.
We, as part of the world workers and pjrogressive movement protest against your barbaric new Code. We demand that the right of workers to organise in trade unions is maintained. We condemn your attempts to legally impose nineteenth century working conditions. We affirm our solidarity with the All-Russia Campaign Against the Labour Code, who have called for a mass Day of Action on 1 December 2000 against this disgraceful attack on working people.
Signed ................................
City .......................... Country ....................
Union/Organisation .........................
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Please send e-mail copies to the following FOUR addresse> president@kremlin.ru, priem@duma.gov.ru, shein@duma.gov.ru, ISWoR@aol.com
president@kremlin.ru - Vladimir Putin, President of Russian Federation> priem@duma.gov.ru - The State Duma (lower house of Russian legislature)
shein@duma.gov.ru - Coordination Committee of the All Russia Action in Defence of the Present Labour Code via Oleg Shein, Duma Deputy, Co-Chairman of Zaschita "Defence" union
ISWoR@aol.com - International Solidarity with Workers in Russia - (ISWoR-MCPP)
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