Russian Workers Victory! & Gunmen Attack Workers Factory!

Russian Workers Victory!
& Gunmen Attack
Workers Factory!

Dear Comrades, 

              Below are three letters put on the new Russi Info-List from 
International Solidarity with Workers in Russia - ISWoR. Any worthwhile 
Marxist must be able to see that Russia is now key to the international 
situation because of its internal dire political and economic situation and 
because US imperialism specifically, but also the EU in a different way, 
want 
and need Russiato  become their semi-colony.

Further, the struggle by the US, the EU and Russia (and secondary: China, 
Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, India, etc) for control of the Caspian basin energy 
resources and its strategic geo-political significance, will now move into 
more and more open and direct conflict.

In this next period, only Russian workers have the political and physical 
weight, and possibility, to unify workers across the whole of central 
Eurasia 
- but not if they come under the thumb of an ultra-nationalist movement. 
This 
is why international practical and political solidarity is so important - 
and 
why I am involved in ISWoR - and why you should be.

for principled Communist unity in action - Steve Myers.

ps - if you want to get on the Russia Info-List send a note to  
antek5@aol.com

_________________________-



RUSSIA INFO-LIST                                      10th July 1999
from International Solidarity with Workers in Russia - ISWoR

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Dear Friends,                                                               
  
     10 July 1999

Now the war in Yugoslavia is sort of over, class struggle in Russia is back 
in the headlines. Below are two current articles. The first shows the 
seriousness with which the bosses in Russia are taking the new wave of 
militancy and the lengths to which they are prepared to go to crush it. The 
gunmen assault on the Vyborg factory - observed by special police soldiers 
and local authorities - seems of particular significance in this next 
period. 
It does seem as though a vigorous campaign of international protest to the 
relevant authorities may be needed regarding this incident. (ISWoR will 
send 
out more details  on this as soon as more info becomes available.)  They 
must 
know in practice that Russian workers are not isolated, and that the 
world’s 
labour  movement will not stand back and allow fascistic militias to 
destroy 
the new militant workers’ movement in the bud.

The second item, which concerns the very important Yasnogorsk workers 
victory 
is wonderful news, and we would like to congratulate all those workers, and 
thank their supporters in Russia, and ISWoR’s supporters world-wide who 
have 
given financial and political support to this struggle. Well done all. See 
also ISWoR letter to the Yasnogorsk workers below. 

Lee Stein
 ISWoR.


GUNMEN ASSAULT
WORKERS’ FACTORY      9th July

On the 9th of July a group of gunmen assaulted the building of Vyborg pulp 
and paper mill. The regional public prosecutor and a group of special 
police 
soldiers were watching the storm.
          Vyborg pulp and paper mill is famous for its workers' committee 
that took over the mill and has been running it since then. This was not 
the 
first attempt by the authorities and the bosses to
return the control over the mill. During the latest assault two workers 
were 
wounded.
          The workers say they are not scared. Despite the prohibition they 
returned to the mill and started again the work. They say they will never 
stop fighting till they win.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------



Moscow - July, the 9th, 1999 - from the Union of Marxists press centre
 - mgo@ahu.ru

YASNOGORSK 8-MONTH OCCUPATION VICTORY!

The strike is over the struggle is going on.

One of the biggest and most important occupational strikes in Russia has
ended in success. Yasnogorsk workers went on strike in December 1998
protesting against huge wage arrears and arrest of the two directors of the
plant who had been appointed on the general meeting of the workers.

The workers took over their plant last September.  Since then Yasnogorsk
workers' committee and trade-union committee had been running the plant for
almost one year. The workers' committee has become the core and the centre
of the struggle. It came into contact with many other strike and workers'
committees as well as with revolutionary proletarian organisations in Russia
and abroad.

The struggle has destroyed all the illusions about so called ‘human’ 
people's
capitalism and made them understand that the real enemy of every worker is
not only the boss or the government but the private property and capitalism
itself. Proletarian revolution is the only solution to all the problems the
workers of Russia are facing.

Every strike has its end. But this time the bosses were forced to sign a
collective agreement drafted by the workers' committee and to admit ALL the
terms that the workers insisted on. The workers are being paid. They are
receiving money for all the months they were on strike. Their wages have
been raised.  The workers' committee has got the right to control the plant
administration and can cancel any of the decision taken by the bosses in
case it is considered unacceptable for the workers. It's an unprecedented
case hardly imaginable not only in Russia but in any developed country of
the world.

At the same time Yasnogorsk workers do realise that their success will be
finally destroyed  unless they go on [continue - Ed] the struggle for the 
proletarian
revolution. A good work has been done in this direction in order to unite
strike and workers committees, other proletarian groups. But there is an
urgent need for a co-ordinating centre. There is a huge amount of work to be
done.

But Yasnogorsk workers' committee believes that even the forthcoming Duma
elections may help the process. A workers' candidate will run [stand in - 
Ed] 
the elections
in  Tula region. That will facilitate him the possibility to use mass media
for the propaganda of revolutionary ideas. And in case he wins all the Duma
facilities could be used for this purpose.

"It will be difficult to win the elections. And the lack of money is the
biggest problem of course. Bourgeois candidates have everything, we have
nothing except for ourselves. But  we will challenge them and do our best to
win this small battle in order to make the next step on the road to
revolution", - say Yasnogorsk workers. END

___________________________________________________________



ISWoR LETTER
TO YASNOGORSK

To the Yasnogorsk Workers Committee and Trade Union Committee   -   10 July 
1999

Dear Sisters, Brothers and Comrades,

             We are delighted to hear of your victory yesterday. It is an 
inspiration and great example to workers all across Russia that workers 
united in militant struggle are in fact a very powerful force. Indeed your 
fight been observed by many workers and their organisations around the 
world 
(possibly more than you are aware) and this will obviously now give our 
movement a much needed boost in general.

              The moment we received the  message from the Moscow Union of 
Marxists informing us of your victory, we produced a leaflet for 
distribution 
containing their press statement of your victory. We are also  sending your 
news world-wide by internet.

              It is our hope that in the course of future workers’ and 
anti-fascist struggles in Russia, the practical and moral international 
support ISWoR and others have managed to achieve for your struggle will be 
multiplied many times over.


Steve Myers - for the ISWoR International Committee.

Ps - I hope to meet many of you in Yasnogorsk in October this year.


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Russia Info-List International Solidarity with Workers in Russia puts out 
information and, analysis from a wide range of sources. Messages posted to 
Russia Info-List
do not necessarily reflect the views of  ISWoR. We are a broad united
front of individuals and organisations internationally who support Russian
workers struggles, who oppose the IMF-Yeltsinite privatisation project,
who oppose racism and fascism, and who want to build internationalism
between workers of all nations. 

If you have something you would like to distribute on Russia Info-List, or 
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