Labour after communism : autoworkers and their unions in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus
"The collapse of the Soviet Union, which consecrated the worldwide triumph of capitalism, has profoundly transformed the lives of the people of the region. A period of economic restructuring has been accompanied by steep economic decline, plummeting living standards, widespread corruption and a...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Institution: | ETUI-European Trade Union Institute |
| Format: | TEXT |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Black Rose Books
2004
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19294795124910129779-Labour-after-communism-autowor.htm |
| Summary: | "The collapse of the Soviet Union, which consecrated the worldwide triumph of capitalism, has profoundly transformed the lives of the people of the region. A period of economic restructuring has been accompanied by steep economic decline, plummeting living standards, widespread corruption and authoritarian government. Despite a high rate of union membership, millions of workers went for months without wages for work done, while a small group accumulated vast fortunes.
Based upon an abundance of first-hand material gathered by the author in the course of more than a decade of research and labour education in the region, Labour After the Soviet Union examines the complex interplay of history, ideology, leadership, state policy, and economic conditions to explain the difficulties workers have encountered in defending their interests against a methodical, state-led attack on living standards and work conditions, and against the arbitrary power of predatory managers and owners. It combines a comparative analysis of the union movements of the three countries with detailed case studies of local unions.
Of the fifteen independent countries that emerged from the former Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus were the most industrialized. Although integral parts of the highly centralized Soviet system for seventy years, they nevertheless display significant differences linked to geography, history, state policy and economic structure. The comparative analysis presented in this volume allows the author to assess the impact of these factors on the labour movements." |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: | 283 p. Paper |