[fse-esf] Kherson, Ukraine. Workers occupy factory.

[Victor Shapinov]

*We are still on a plant, that was occupied by workers. Situation is stabil.
Dozens of workers will stay on a plant for all night.
There is a text from Indimeda below. Solidarity needed. Please, send
infromation to Western Media. It will help to talk with government about
nationalization.*


Today at 9:30 more than 300 workers occupied the administrative building of
Kherson Engineering Plant. The workers demand payment of wages,
nationalization of the plant without compensation to its owner and are
decisively inclined to occupy the building until complete fulfillment of
their demands. During occupation no worker has injured. Factory guards did
not resist seriously. The situation is controlled by yesterday elected
workers council. The police has not yet appeared near the building.

 [image: Workers occupy factory in Kherson,
Ukraine]<http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/feb2009/khersonoccupy.jpg>
Workers occupy factory in Kherson, Ukraine


At this moment the council is meeting in the former cabinet of a technical
director. Leonid Nimchinov, the chair of the workers council, says that
these events must be widely spread and calls workers from other plants
throughout Ukraine to display solidarity and support each other. In the near
future he is going to address this call to workers of Lviv Bus Plant and
other factories.

The main demands of protesting workers:

- payment of wage arrears (near 4.5 million Ukrainian hryvnias);

- nationalization of the plant without compensation to its owner;

- the state-secured plant's production distribution – high-quality farm
machinery

In case of ignoring their demands workers are ready to turn to the toughest
forms of protest.

Background: on February 2, 300 workers of Kherson Engineering Plant started
protest action against non-payment of wages since September 2008 and actual
destruction of the plant by its owners. During one of the previous meetings
with the workers Ms. Pugacheva, the alternate director, said that the owners
were not going to save the plant. "Why did you stick to this plant so much?"
she said. The workers hold a meeting near the entrance and elected 5
representatives to the Workers Council and its chair Aleksey Nimchinov who
will lead the future struggle and negotiate on behalf of the workers.
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