Ukrainian trade union organiser Artem Tivda spoke to Chartist about the challenges facing Ukrainians under Russian bombardment.
Before the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian official statistics reported that 12 million were employed and 2 million were members of trade unions. The precariat and gig economy make statistics imperfect, but about 5 million became internally displaced, and approximately 5 million went abroad. The Mariupol Azovstal company was completely destroyed, along with oil and gas facilities, schools, homes and so on. People had no place to work. Trade unions became part of the new infrastructure, helping people to move and find employment elsewhere.
Many trade unions originated in Soviet times but are very different now. They have not been so involved in military units, but they try to identify which members mobilised, joined the military or have been killed or whose houses were targeted by Russian drones and need money to repair bomb damage. Trade unions gather this data.
How have unions been able to recruit essential service workers like firefighters, teachers, transport staff?
Recently I ran a training course for the teachers’ union, working with people in kindergartens. Teachers face many issues. Promised pay increases have not materialised. (In Moldova, the government pressured teachers to do more work for less pay. Teachers have been running a campaign against this with some success.)
Before the war, there were two unions for firefighters. They were affiliated with nuclear power plant workers’ unions. Now the biggest groups of firefighters that are active are not affiliated to any federations. Workers in other parts of critical infrastructure are united in the utilities workers union or the nuclear workers’ and health workers’ union.
Winter was very difficult for electricity workers. From 2023, Russia targeted supply facilities and the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam. Ukraine’s five nuclear power plants were also under attack. Chornobyl was occupied, but later freed. Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is now occupied. Russians were firing rockets from the rooftops. They forced workers to collaborate. But nuclear power plants cannot be abandoned; they must be maintained, so many workers have stayed.
Russian military deliberately targets ambulances, health care facilities and water supplies. Workers trying to renew the power grid face unexploded ordnance. The utilities workers’ union fought for extra payments for workers who are in difficult circumstances, and campaigned to improve social benefits.
All essential service workers are at risk of being killed. Nine Ukrainian regions are in a permanent combat zone, so essential workers in these areas face danger every day.
However, many workers were mobilised from large industrial facilities, and many are helping rebuild homes.
293 civilian deaths were reported in June. Nowhere is safe in Ukraine.
What is the resistance in cities – is there any local self-defence?
Before the invasion, Ukraine embarked on a reform of territorial defence, creating more opportunities for local volunteers. Many people participated in monthly self-defence training. However, there were not enough bullets to learn how to shoot. I know people who argued for more training. Some local commanders were, however, better prepared and recruited young people to join forest training.
Peace now, ‘welfare not warfare’ advocates on the left in the UK have been a problem for building real solidarity with the resistance. What are the challenges of achieving peace in Ukraine?
Welfare not warfare is a deliberate manipulation. The welfare state gives citizens faith in their future, while privatised and outsourced services and even critical infrastructure are easy targets for corruption, which in times of war also means a weak link in national security and defence. The neoliberal nature of the state and lack of proper preparation for long-term use of bomb shelters have hindered evacuation. The Russian occupier’s actions have included cutting communication, leading to confusion about legitimate evacuation opportunities, with some people being mistakenly evacuated to Russia.
The key to ending the war does not lie in Ukraine – nothing will satisfy the aggressor due to the imperialist model of capitalism practiced by the Russian Federation. The keys to peace are in the Kremlin which gives a new command to continue the war every day. This war should be costly for the Russian Federation; through sanctions, through the seizure of Russian oligarchs’ assets in Swiss banks, European clearing institutions in Brussels, and Rusal production facilities in the UK; also through Ukrainian sanctions in the form of strikes on the supply and processing channels of Russian resources; the refusal of port workers in Europe, the Americas, and Asia to cooperate with Russian vessels – all these sanctions together may outweigh the cost of war over its profitability.
Please outline the importance and role of sanctions against Russia?
The front line appears to be freezing, with Russia struggling with supply chain issues. Russian oligarchs have avoided sanctions through offshore banking schemes and tax avoidance, allowing them to benefit from the war while maintaining assets in Western countries. While some Western businesses have refused to work with Russian supply chains, others continue operating in Russia, creating a mixed approach to sanctions implementation. We need heavy sanctions as were implemented in South Africa. The West must cut all trade and dependence on Russian gas and oil. Fossil fuel extraction has a high price.
Western allies must reduce dependence on Russian energy resources and campaign for a just green transition that addresses climate impacts globally. Workers’ unions and socialists should be more active in discussing and implementing this transition. Offshore tax avoidance systems, which benefit dictators during wartime, must end.
Mike Davis and Christopher Ford asked the questions.