Appeal from the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FITUR)

Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia, 29 March 1995

To National Trade Union Centres,
World and Regional International
Trade Union Organisations

Dear Colleagues!

You may surely recall, that on the 27th of October last year a National Trade Union Action of Protest against the worsening social and economic conditions of the working people was held in Russia. On that day, over 8 million workers through the entire Russian territory took part in rallies, marches, pickets and other forms of trade union activities, demanding that the Government should insure payments of indebtedness in wages and practical measures to be taken to prevent mass unemployment. Those actions were widely supported by trade unions abroad, world and regional trade union organisations.

Unfortunately and despite the multitude of proposals and attempts made by the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FITUR) in order to achieve solutions of these problems through a constructive dialogue with the Government, the situation has not only failed to improve, but rather got markedly worse. Wages and salaries indebtedness has continued to increase, the threat of unemployment has turned into reality.

In this connection, the Executive Committee of the General Council of the FITUR, having supported the initiative by the Association of Trade Unions of Employees in Defence Industries, decided on the holding of the Day United Collective Actions by trade unions of Russia in defence of the lawful workers' demands. This Day of Actions is aimed at the mobilisation of trade union organizations, working people of Russia for a resolute protection of their social-economical demands; it is meant to show, that they are not going to make peace with any humiliation of the rights and dignity of work people.

Aware of the adherence of your Organization to the principles of active struggles for the working people's interests the world over, the FITUR believe, that this Day of Actions, foregoing the First of May as the Day of International Solidarity of the Working People, will find support within the World Trade Union Movement.

We shall appreciate any expression of your attitude towards the demands of the Russian Trade Union Movement and the situation, in which millions of workers of our country have found themselves to-day. We shall be glad, if your message of solidarity could be received by us on the eve of the 12th of April, so that we could inform participants of the Day's actions about it.

With Trade Union greetings,

Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia

Messages of support can be sent to:
Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia
42 Leninsky Prospekt
117119 Moscow Russia

Fax: +7 (095) 938 2293
e-mail, via the sender of the current message: Vassily Balog <vbalog@glas.apc.org>