(Moscow) Union Cries Foul in AvtoVAZ Wage Dispute (10,000 workers were ready to go on strike)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Moscow Times

By Max Delany

A union threatening to bring car production at AvtoVAZ to a halt Wednesday has accused the authorities of organizing a campaign of harassment against its members in an effort to prevent the strike.

Since mid-July, independent trade union Yedinstvo has been calling for workers in three workshops at AvtoVAZ's giant Tolyatti plant to go on strike over demands to raise minimum pay to 25,000 rubles ($980) per month. The potential pay hike would see wages almost triple.

The proposed strike, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, would bring the three crucial workshops to a halt and cripple the AvtoVAZ production line, Yedinstvo chairman Pyotr Zolotaryov said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Zolotaryov said approximately 10,000 workers were ready to go on strike, Interfax reported.

Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/08/01/003.html