Workers Revolutionary Party - Kherson workers occupy

The News Line: News Saturday, 7 March 2009 Kherson workers occupy – call for workers councils

Kherson engineering workers have called on workers throughout the Ukraine to support their struggle

The labour collective occupying the Kherson engineering factory has issued a decree appealing to the ‘Workers of Ukraine’.

The decree says: ‘We understand that we can achieve our demands only with the support of workers of other enterprises and institutions.

‘Working groups of enterprises throughout Ukraine should join efforts and support each other in the fight.

‘We should not hope for assistance in power of political parties, we depend first and foremost on ourselves and our fellow workers. They have proved that they care deeply about the interests of workers.

‘The interests of workers can only be defended by the workers themselves!

‘We offer to coordinate our efforts, creating the Coordination Committee of struggling teams in Ukraine.

‘This committee shall nominate a joint claim on behalf of workers in Ukraine and to coordinate joint actions to implement these requirements.

‘We propose to put forward the following demands:

• No cuts! Workers should not pay for the mistakes of the owners of factories and the authorities!

• No bankruptcies and closures!

• Nationalisation of strategic factories and enterprises under the control of labour!

• The confiscation of the bank accounts of owners of factories and repayment of debts on wages, as well as payments to the budgets and pension funds.

• Repayment of debts on wages for all workers in Ukraine, raising wages to a decent standard, indexing according to inflation!

• Full employment in the country!

‘We call on workers of all enterprises in Ukraine to jointly fight for the interests of employees, labour veterans and students!

‘Create workers councils and fighting trade unions. Together we will achieve victory.’