A protest picket took place in front of Kyshtym copper electrolysis plant (part of Russian Copper Company) administration building in Kyshtym, Sverdlovsk Region on April 30, 2010. The picketers expressed their dissatisfaction with the employer’s pay policy and with the way the plant’s management exerted pressure on the trade union members, says the spokesperson for Russia’s Ore Mining & Metallurgy Trade Union.

The picket was attended by about 350 people.

‘Not all of the plant’s workers were able to come to the protest picket because the working day on Friday, April 30 was one hour shorter than usual and the plant’s management illegitimately canceled the lunch hour that day, thus making the workers’ shift even shorter. This meant that these employees could not clock out and join the other protesters. Nevertheless, despite the management’s subterfuges, the protest was a success, Chairman of Kyshtym copper electrolysis plant trade union V. Zimin emphasized. In fact, the workers of Aleksandrinskaya ore mining company, Karabashmed, ChMK, ZMZ, and other regional ore mining enterprises arrived on the scene to support their friends,’ the trade union reports.

The protesters demanded that all the workers’ pay be raised by 20% on May 1, 2010 and that it be somewhat increased every year; they insisted that the current wage and bonuses agreement adopted on November 1, 2009 be cancelled and a new agreement on merit-based pay be devised by July 1, 2010. They also required that the management stop exerting pressure on the trade union members and not prevent the organization of trade unions within Russian Copper Company. Finally, the picketers wanted the redundancies in the company to stop.

These demands were voted on unanimously by the picket attendees and were later directed to the employer.