Russian Ford workers betrayed by union, left with meager compensation and without jobs

[TexasTowelie]

On June 20, the Ford factory in Vsevolozhsk, near the city of St. Petersburg, effectively shut down production. Of roughly 1,000 workers, only 50 are left to work there until December this year to complete the factory's closure. According to news reports, the other two factories that Ford announced would be closed in Russia—one in Naberezhnye Chelny, a city in the region of Tatarstan; and one in Yelaburg—were shut down in early June.

The closures are part of a major assault on autoworkers internationally which includes mass layoffs at Ford and GM in the Americas and Europe (see “Ford announces 12,000 layoffs, five plant closures across Europe”).

In the struggle against this assault, workers are confronted not only with the transnational companies, but also with the trade unions, which strangle the workers’ resistance. This was in stark display during the shutdown of the Russian factories.

The Russian auto union MPRA (Inter-Regional Trade Union Workers’ Alliance) played a central role in enabling Ford to close the plants without organized opposition by the workers. The almost 1,000 workers were effectively forced to sign agreements of “voluntary retirement” and given miserable severance packages. The workers are now facing the prospect of social destitution and long-term unemployment, amid conditions of growing poverty and economic crisis.

Read more: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/22/mpra-j22.html

[Wellstone ruled]

1. The Oligarch's

run the country,what does one expect. BTW,the Russian built units were a mess as to fit and finish as well as general overall quality according to Car Mags.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. What a shame ... Corporate malfeasance is everywhere, even in Russia. There needs to be ...

alternatives to corporations where enough is always NOT enough.

Enough of these hedge funds and the 1%ers who hire rip off accountants to manage their companies in search of every single penny regardless of the human cost.

There needs to be alternatives to the issuing of stock (and stock markets), corporations, etc. This relentless pursuit of profits over everything else has got to stop...when is enough ever enough?

Perhaps COOPs could be the answer ... owned and run by the workers, some COOPs have been pretty successful, all while still putting sizable amounts of funds into worker 401Ks.

[Backseat Driver]

3. Seems that members of and leadership of that

Russian union are between a rock and the hard place. No wonder Maria B. and R. Stone thought there just might be an opportunity to re-tool the line a bit and create that niche market for America's other greatest (Industrial) Revolution product. What? Russian mob oligarchs have little interest in fossil-fuel-dependent, depreciating personal transportation assets but more in a marketing slogan $$$ pass-through organization that could underwrite a "Go ahead--Make My Day" chaos campaign elsewhere? Hmmmm....