Workers in Ukraine Fight Privatization

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Workers at the Vinnitsa Ball Bearing plant in central Ukraine have been locked in an eight-year battle to keep their jobs since their factory was privatized and sold to the Interprodukt Corporation.

The conditions of the sale stated that the formerly state-owned factory would remain open and be modernized. After the switch-over, however, the plant was closed and workers found themselves out of a job. As the workers organized and picketed, Interprodukt’s agents attempted to enter the factory multiple times to sell the equipment for scrap. The striking workers resisted by blockading the factory and have prevented the factory from being gutted for eight years.

Only earlier this year did a government-appointed commission finally conclude that Interprodukt had illegally closed the plant and violated the terms of sale. The investigation also found that there is an economic demand for ball bearings, supporting the workers’ argument that the plant should be reopened by the state.

Pressure the Ukrainian government to lift the shutters at the Vinnitsa factory by writing to Minister of Labor Liudmyla Denysova at 10, Esplanadna St., Kyiv, Ukraine 01023. Email messages of support to the striking workers at vpprofcm@rambler.ru or vinasmunik@mail.ru.