Ford workers in Russia Leningrad region ready for indefinite strike

About 1,500 workers of Ford Motor Company in Russia’s northwestern Leningrad region plan to begin an indefinite strike on June 24 to demand the payment in full of compensations for harmful work environment, sources from the interregional trade union of car industry workers told Tass on Tuesday. The trade union of Ford has notified the employer about the upcoming strike. “Work will be suspended till July 5 when production will be stopped for the summer period,” Artyom Yashenkov from the trade union committee of the plant said. About 50 percent of workers of the plant in Vsevolzhsk plan to take part in the indefinite strike. Their main demands, according to Yashenkov, are compensations for harmful work environment as well as better working conditions in the summer and winter periods. “The company does pay compensations for harmful conditions, but not in full. Earlier, the Vsevolzhsk district court upheld it, and now the employer challenges this decision at the Leningrad regional court,” he added. “So far no agreements have been reached,” Yashenkov said. Representatives of Ford Motor Company were unavailable for comments.