‘Sverdlovsk Region Federation of Trade Unions has been keeping an eye on Uralvagonzavod. So far, nobody has got an answer to the question of what is going to happen to this defense industry giant’s workers on January 1, 2010,’ the Federation representative says.

‘To make sure people have got jobs, the state (our company’s primary proprietor) must ensure enough orders for the railway machinery. In case the state cannot afford to use the plant’s full capacity, Uralvagonzavod’s trade union just cannot agree to large-scale redundancies unless there appears an employment scheme designed by the municipal, regional, and federal authorities,’ the trade union representatives report.