On March 26, Thursday, workers at the Saratov Electric Aggregate Production Association (SEPO) in the city of Saratov in Russia protested the proposed closure of the refrigerator production unit of the company. The company management has decided to stop the production, citing losses. It has also decided to lay off workers in the refrigerator manufacturing unit. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) has expressed solidarity with the workers of SEPO.
According to reports, workers held up posters, saying “Save SEPO!”, “We won’t pay for the crisis!” and “Stop cuts, fight for every place!”
Addressing the workers, Alexander Anidalov of the KPRF said that SEPO, a plant with more than 80 years of history, is moving at an accelerated pace towards closure. The profit motive of the capitalists is worsening the plight of the laborers, he said, adding that the owners and government of the region are more likely to put forward excuses, rather than trying to maintain production in the company.
The Saratov regional committee of the KPRF has demanded that the layoffs of workers at SEPO, Radio Instrument Plant and other enterprises in the region be halted and that urgent measures be taken to stabilize the financial and economic situation of enterprises. They have also demanded that workers should have a say in the financial, economic and personnel decisions of the managements. The KPRF has also asked for salary indexation in accordance with real inflation and a phase-by-phase nationalization of large enterprises in the region.
