Elena Khoroshun, Acting Chairman, regional unit of Dockers' Union of Russia, interviewed by IAA PortNews
An offensive aggression against the management of FESCO Transport Group in the territory of its subsidiary, Commercial Port of Vladivostok, caused by the protests of employees against removal of Zairbek Yusupov from his position of the General Director enters a new phase. Elena Khoroshun, Acting Chairman, regional trade union organization of Primorsky Territory ports, Dockers' Union of Russia, answered the questions of IAA PortNews correspondent.
- What does the trade union have to do with the dockers’ protests against termination of the General Director’s powers?
- Most of the port employees are the trade union members. Therefore, the primary trade union organization of the port employees put forward he claims raised at the conference of trade union members. DVMP (FESCO) management, in its turn, asked the Prosecutor’s Office of the Primorsky Territory, Transport Prosecutor’s Office of the Primorsky Territory and Primorsky Territory Department of FSB to consider the actions of the primary trade union organization and my actions for the purpose of bringing to administrative and criminal responsibility.
- What are the key claims of the port employees? What is their foundation?
- The key claims of the port employees are: reinstatement of Zairbek Yusupov in the office of General Director … and expansion of the CPV Charter with a clause on obligatory participation of the workers' association representative in running the company (general meeting of shareholders, supervisory board, board of directors), which is a right enshrined in the labor code.
- Are there many dock workers involved in the protests? How does that affect the production process?
- The protests involve both dock workers and employees of other port subdivisions. As for dockers, there were 300 to 500 of them involved in different days. The meeting with Zairbek Yusupov numbered 2,000 participants. Shift/day plans were fulfilled all the days. The port continues its normal operation. The rolling stock and the ships are handled as scheduled.
- What is the trade union’s position regarding the incident with helmets which was publicly criticized by Arkady Korosteljov, General Director of FESCO?
- The trade union disapproves the incident, not willing to bear responsibility for the third persons’ acts of provocation.
- What is the current state of confrontation?
- The employees expect an official response to their claims. Besides, the employees addressed the Primorsky Territory Governor and the law-enforcement authorities with a request to sort out the situation particularly in the part of DVMP management’s illegal actions. The letter has been signed by about 1,500 port employees.
- What is the plan of actions?
- Pursuance of our claims under the labor rights for holding meetings and actions confirmed by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.
Interviewed by Yevgeny Pankratyev, IAA PortNews correspondent