one of the strongest Russian labor unions — Interregional labor union "Working association" (MPRA). Labor union accused of receiving foreign financing with simultaneous participation in political activity. MPRA appealed against a judgment and while expects further hearings.
the Judgment is relative MPRA — it not simply neutralization of mechanisms of a protest before elections. Distribution of the law on foreign agents on labor unions allows to eliminate the most effective of them that threatens with further weakening of all system of protection of the labor law of workers in Russia.
Not only the judgment, but even potential threat to be accused of receiving foreign financing at simultaneous occupation political activity that is forbidden by the law on foreign agents, limits institutional influence of labor unions. Reasonable fears of judicial punishment it is inevitably pushed them to self-restriction of the activity before negotiations with the specific employer on the concrete conflict, at the level of separately taken enterprise, and to refusal of the central function of labor unions.
labor unions as representatives of collective interests of workers, are obliged to influence the labor legislation simply owing to the institutional mission and by that have to be anxious with that when developing labor and social policy interests of hired workers were not infringed, as was interpreted by court as the proof of political activity of MPRA. Thereby, new practice of application of the law on foreign agents threatens with further decrease and without that weak influence of the Russian labor unions on social and labor policy of the state.
Representatives of trade-union community recognize that at the time of adoption of law they did not see in it opportunity for charge of the trade-union organizations of occupation by political activity.
Charge of receiving foreign financing not less limiting action of court. MPRA is the participant of the international association of labor unions of IndustriALL Global Union uniting more than 50 million hired workers in 140 countries, including and in the Russian Federation. Besides MPRA, IndustriALL Global Union include nine more all-Russian labor unions. In a globalization context participation of labor unions in the international associations becomes a necessary condition of their efficiency. The universal exit of multinational corporations to positions of large international employers objectively demands reciprocal cross-border cooperation and from labor unions.
the International trade-union associations will regularly organize trainings of trade-union activists of the different countries, protection of the rights of hired workers training to modern methods. Participation in educational trainings of organized IndustriALL Global Union just also is imputed by MPRA court as foreign financing.
Following this logic, all Russian labor unions participating in the international trade-union movement, including and the Federation of Independent Labor Unions of Russia (FILUR) to recognize as foreign agents.
Elimination of MPRA sends an unambiguous signal to all trade-union movement, setting labor unions thinking once again, whether it is worth developing cooperation with foreign colleagues. The international isolation will promote hardly to strengthening of the Russian trade-union movement. Free labor unions which, unlike official, have no economic support in a type of the property which has got from Soviet period appear the most vulnerable thus. But under blow active official labor unions get also. Not incidentally first MPRA the branch labor unions entering FNPR which also enter IndustriALL Global Union defended.
Experts of the Center of the social and labor rights note that the decision of the St. Petersburg city court roughly violates a constitutional right of citizens on association and does not correspond to the Russian law on labor unions. Not less important and that it limits search of new formats of trade-union work, including refusal of the outdated branch principle which everything slows down development of the Russian trade-union movement, and, first of all, free labor unions more strongly.
MPRA Elimination once again showed universality of the law on the foreign agents, widely used for fight with uncontrollable to the Russian state civil associations. Thanks to any interpretation of the terms "political activity" and "foreign financing" the law can be used practically against any non-profit organization, from large charity foundation, such, for example, as "Dynasty", to local society of hunting and fishery.
If initially a main objective of the law on foreign agents were human rights organizations, now the most active labor unions became objects of prosecution also.
Reference: the history of creation and MPRA
Labor union of MPRA is among "free" labor unions of Russia. These are the trade-union organizations which have arisen in the early nineties, as alternative to the so-called "official" labor unions relating to the Federation of Independent Labor Unions of Russia (FILUR), the successor of the Soviet All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions. Unlike official labor unions which, in the majority, are focused on distribution of the social benefits and "objective" mediation between workers and employers, quite often giving preference to the last, free labor unions are focused on fight against violations of the labor law of workers, and do not avoid, if necessary, to go with the unfair employer on the sharp open conflict.
Though FNPR absolutely dominates today in trade-union space of Russia, covering about 95% of all unionizirovanny workers, free labor unions are well noticeable on its background because of high protest activity. The largest association of alternative labor unions is All-Russian trade-union association "Konfederatsiya truda Russia" (KTR) which enters and MPRA.<"33>"
MPRA was created in 2006 by employees of Ford Motor Company and <1> plants "AvtoVAZ" as "MPRA". From the moment of education, in many respects thanks to the charismatic leader Aleksey Etmanov, the labor union differed ability to mobilize workers and to organize successful protest actions.
at Ford plant for the first time applied so-called "working-to-rule strike" or "work on rules", that is such form of a strike when work is conducted with strict performance of everything, even insignificant and all of the forgotten rules, and is exact within the registered obligations. This form of a protest then was applied more than once by the Russian labor unions in other industries. And the 25-day strike at Ford plant in 2007 which allowed to raise compensation almost on a third became the loudest action of new labor union. This action also brought to labor union the All-Russian and international popularity.
to estimate complexity of carrying out work of MPRA need to know br that the Russian labor legislation practically excludes possibility of holding legal strikes.
Thanks to the activity to labor union managed to achieve the conclusion of the collective agreements favorable to workers, significant improvement of conditions and the work organization, including payments of compensations for work in harmful conditions at plants "Ford", "Volkswagen", LLC "Benteler Automotive" and some other.
Since January, 2014 heads of labor union made the decision on activity expansion out of limits of automotive industry. Having changed the name, on present — MPRA, MPRA turned into the interregional and intersectoral trade-union hub (knot) giving support to young alternative labor unions at the time of their establishment as a result of the conflict of workers with the employer. For association in uniform labor union of employees of various branches changes were made to the charter which were then regarded by city court of St. Petersburg as inappropriate to the status of the trade-union organization that became one of the bases for the decision on MPRA.<"38>" elimination to