I just wanted to start out by giving a little bit of information about trade unions under the tsarist regime and the soviet regimes of Russia. .
- By the end of the 19th century in Russia, there were two million industrial workers, working 11 hour days 7 days a week. Conditions were harsh in factories and there was little concern given for health and safety. Those who attempted to form trade unions were usually imprisoned. .
- 1904 was an especially bad year for industrial workers. Wages declined by 20% and 110,000 workers went on strike in St. Petersburg. A year later, 150,000 people signed a petition which outlined their sufferings and the needs to change the work environment. When they marched to the winter palace to present it to Nicholas II, 100 people were killed and 300 were injured by police. Because of these events, the government changed the laws which prohibited trade unions.
- In the Soviet era, unions were regarded as lapdog unions, which were only permitted to function in order to support the communist regime. Most of the time they did nothing but handed out financial assistance and vouchers for health resorts.
- In post-Soviet Russia, it is very difficult to make their presence known. Since 1989 trade unions have been divided into two primary camps, alternative and traditional. Most of the traditional unions are affiliated with the Federation of Independent States or the FNPR. Its president is Mikhail Shmakov and it includes more than 36 unions, grouped by type of occupation. .
- The Independent Union of Mine Workers of Russia remains most arguably the most important of the newer trade unions. Its membership stands at 100,000. Other important unions include the pilot's union, the air traffic controller's union, the sailor's union, the longshoremen's union, and the locomotive engineer's union.
- The main functions of Russian trade unions include wage determination, employment protection, social protection and enforcement of labor rights, observance of health and safety, social welfare, and organization and recruitment.
