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Ver.di publik: Ukrainian trade unions - Negotiating tariffs, supporting colleagues, enduring war.

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Clients: Die Zeit , Brand eins, NZZ am Sonntag , WOZ die Wochenzeitung , RND

From the driver's cab o...oods across the entire country.

From the driver's cab of the moving Soviet-era locomotive, the capital passes by in the background. From here, they transport goods across the entire country.

Aleksander Skyba from the &...me are either invalids or dead.

Aleksander Skyba from the ‘Free Trade Union of Railway Workers’ (VPZU) stands in the narrow aisle of the Soviet-era locomotive. The working conditions are difficult, there is not much comfort. Even the ‘toilet’ is just a hatch in the middle section of the 184-tonne double locomotive that pulls goods trains across the vast country. "We have been calling for the fleet to be modernised for years, but the management has only been asleep." he says. For the workforce, on the other hand, the war brought overtime, sleep and now staff shortages. Thousands of colleagues are at the frontline. Those who make it home are either invalids or dead.

The workplace of Aleksander Sky...ur shoe, it can melt".

The workplace of Aleksander Skyba from the ‘Free Trade Union of Railwaymen’ (VPZU) is a Soviet-era locomotive, model ‘Vladimir Lenin 80’, built in 1968. The thermometer in the driver's cab rises to over 30 degrees Celsius in the morning. "That's still harmless,’ says Skyba. ‘After 15 hours of operation, it's 50 degrees. In winter, we can switch on the heating on the floor, but if you touch it with your shoe, it can melt".

The city of Zaporizhia, which h...;amp; at least 43 were injured.

The city of Zaporizhia, which had a population of 710,000 at the start of the war, is an overnight train journey from Kyiv. The front, on the other hand, is less than an hour away. Russian shells and drones regularly hit the industrial city. On 31 July 2024, a missile hit this residential building at night. Five people died, & at least 43 were injured.

In a laboratory on the ground f...spenses medication to patients.

In a laboratory on the ground floor of the tuberculosis clinic in Zaporizhia Oblast, Iryna Boronylo, works council member, analyses blood and saliva samples and dispenses medication to patients.

Portrait of Iryna Boronylo, wor...is clinic in Zaporizhia Oblast.

Portrait of Iryna Boronylo, works council member at the tuberculosis clinic in Zaporizhia Oblast.

About half an hour's dr...ther advance by Russian troops.

About half an hour's drive from the frontline stains of war are clearly visible in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in southern Ukraine. Trenches characterize the landscape around a village. These could be used in the event of a further advance by Russian troops.

Wassyl Andrejew, chairman of th...#39;s office at the Euromaidan.

Wassyl Andrejew, chairman of the construction trade union ‘Profbud’, examines new work materials together with his employees in the trade union's office at the Euromaidan.

In the offices of Pavlo Prudnik...until he was seriously wounded.

In the offices of Pavlo Prudnikov, deputy chairman of the ‘Trade Union of Nuclear Energy Workers’ (Atomprofspilka), there are pictures reminiscent of his work in the nuclear power plants. But there are also flags from the 15 Brigade, in which he fought until he was seriously wounded.

The trade union office looks di...emembrance for many Ukrainians.

The trade union office looks directly onto the Euromaidan in Kyiv. This is where the temporary memorial to fallen soldiers is located on Maidan Square. Thousands of flags are waving in the wind in memory of the fallen soldiers. It has become an important place of remembrance for many Ukrainians.

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Ver.di publik: Ukrainian trade unions - Negotiating tariffs, supporting colleagues, enduring war.

Copyright Sitara Thalia Ambrosio 2024

Updated Sep 2024

Summary

Ver.di publik: Ukrainian trade unions - Negotiating tariffs, supporting colleagues, enduring war. What does the work of Ukrainian trade Unions two and a half years after the Russian invasion?

„The men are at the Frontline, abroad or hiding at home for fear of being called up. This is also causing an unprecedented shortage of skilled workers in our industry“. says Wassyl Andrejew, chairman of the 57,000-member construction trade union "Profbud".

Aleksander Skyba does not come across as someone who shies away from conflict. As proud as he is of his workplace, a Soviet locomotive built in 1968, he is just as upset. Because the thermometer in the driver’s cab rises to over 30 degrees Celsius in the morning, with only the wind providing refreshment. „That’s still harmless,“ says Skyba. For the workforce, however, the war brought overtime, lack of sleep and now a shortage of staff. Thousands of colleagues are at the frontline. Anyone who makes it home is either an invalid or dead. So far, there is no law on the duration of military service in times of war. Skyba, but also the „International Trade Union Confederation“, observes cases in which „martial law is being misused to undermine basic workers‘ and trade union rights“.

Negotiating tariffs, supporting colleagues, enduring war. What does the work of Ukrainian trade Unions two and a half years after the Russian invasion?

Text by Moritz Gross for Ver.di publik - with the support of Dmytryj Bohuslawskyj. Many thanks to Christian Jungeblodt.

Sitara Thalia Ambrosio

Sep 28, 2022

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