Statement from Workers Occupation in Ukraine

russia / ukraine / belarus | workplace struggles | press release Friday February 06, 2009 19:36 by ronan

Translation of a statement issued by the worker's council occupying the Kherson Machinery Plant in Ukraine. First posted on http://livasprava.livejournal.com/, translated and edited on http://mollymew.blogspot.com/.

Workers of Ukraine!
The deeper Ukraine plunged into economic crisis, the more obvious it becomes that the authorities and big business have only one recipe for it. They are trying to shift all of its gravity on the shoulders of workers, the elderly and youth.
The growing prices of food and essential goods and the rising rates for housing and communal services, the uncontrollably rising prices of public transport, and the fact that medicines and medical care are becoming less and less affordable.
Rather than provide effective assistance to laid-off and unemployed people, officials and capitalists think only about how to enumerate them lately. Rather than do everything to preserve existing and create new jobs, the officials and owners of businesses behind the crisis, pushed workers into the street.
As a result of these policies the Kherson machinery factory faced a critical situation: the production was stopped, the salaries were not paid, and the company stopped all payments to the budget and the Pension Fund. Neither the owner nor the current government are taking any steps to revive the plant.
Under these conditions, the labor collective has decided not to give up and came together to fight for the interests of human labor. At this difficult crossroads we took decisive action: had a tough administration demonstration , captured and protected the plant against theft of finished products and equipment,and we are fighting for the truth about our struggle.
We demanded from the Government of Ukraine nationalization under the control of the working staff. We demanded the confiscation of the bank accounts of the owner of the plant, and the repayment of debts on wages, as well as payments to the budget and pension fund. We require the state to ensure the government orders and marketing of the plant products. We demanded repayment of debts on wages for all workers in the city of Kherson and full employment in the city and region.
We understand that we can achieve our demands only with the support of workers of other enterprises and institutions.(NB-Molly) Working groups of enterprises throughout Ukraine should join efforts and support each other in the fight. We should not hope for assistance in power of political parties, (Double NB-Molly)we depend first and foremost on ourselves and our fellow workers. They have proved that they care deeply about the interests of workers .
The interests of workers can only be defended by the workers themselves!
We offer to coordinate our efforts, creating the Coordination Committee of struggling teams in Ukraine. . This committee shall nominate a joint claim on behalf of workers in Ukraine and to coordinate joint actions to implement these requirements.
We propose to put forward the following demands:

* No cuts! Workers should not pay for the mistakes of the owners
of factories and the authorities!
*No bankruptcies and closures!
* Nationalization of strategic factories and enterprises under the
control of labor! In the first place where the owners cut jobs refuse to
pay wages and destroy production.
*The confiscation of the bank accounts of owners of factories, and
repayment of debts on wages, as well as payments to the budgets and pension
funds.
*Public provision of state orders and sales of products produced by
factories. The state has had a multi-bank support; we demand that public
funds not be parasitic financial structures, but provide jobs and
support real production.
*Repayment of debts on wages for all workers in Ukraine, raising
wages to a decent standard, indexing according to inflation!
* Full employment in the country!

We call on workers of all enterprises in Ukraine to jointly fight for the interests of employees, labor veterans and students! Create works councils and fighting trade unions . Together we will achieve victory.
Working Kherson engineering factory