Translated material
The trade union is a billion
How the Pskov Regional Council of Trade Unions dispossessed
On June 8, on Monday, in Pskov they will choose a new leadership of the Pskov Regional Council of Trade Unions - one of the most powerful and most independent in Russia. The struggle goes not only for power, but also for the money - both of the current trade union boss Ulyana Mikhailova turned out to be too much.
Money
The struggle for the chair of the trade union leader is not only a political issue. The Pskov regional industry has a large farm that earn hundreds of millions of rubles every year, in 2019, revenue approached 1 billion rubles. These are mainly Soviet sanatoriums, which, contrary to all -Russian practice, the regional trade union managed not only not to lose, but also to put in order: “Hilovo”, “Blue Lakes”, “Cheyokh”, “Forty”, “Pushkinnoye”, “Alla”; There is also a travel bureau "Sotocurprof". The largest object - Khilovo - earned 421 million rubles in 2019 and even showed 18.2 million rubles in net profit.
In the ranking of the Pskov Province, the 100 largest companies in the Pskov region for arrived Pskov Oblov Proof took 57th place, and the Khilovo sanatorium enteredthe TOP-100 rating of the largest enterprises of the region for revenue .
In the 1990s, Pskov managed to agree with Moscow that the Soviet trade union inheritance would not be sold, but will become the ownership of the regional regional provision and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR) in the ratio of 70 by 30.
Until the 2010s, this property was not used too efficiently. For example, one of the sanatoriums tried to go bankrupt and unfinished houses for workers suddenly found themselves in the ownership of the head physician, recalls the recent deputy chairman of the Oblov Profrf Andrei Khristevich (he left the post immediately after the decision of the FNPR, sending an application to e -mail: the presidium satisfied it on June 1). “A similar situation”, according to him, was in “Hilovo”, so the FNPR set the task: “To put property issues in order.”
Ulyana Mikhailova, who headed the Pskov Regional Oblov Prof in 2010, was to engage in order. Then he was “recruited” into the trade unions and Khrishkevich himself. He worked in the internal policy of the administration of the Pskov region and accompanied trade unions on protests. “They looked at me, and at one of the events they made an indecent offer that suited me. It was an increase in a salary of 30 percent, I agreed, ”recalls Khristevich.
“Ten years ago, Ulyana Mikhailova and her colleagues had three options: to give the FNPR property, to sell it to anyone or take up his development themselves,” says Lev Shlosberg , deputy of the Pskov Regional Assembly, the head of the Pskov Regional Assembly. - They took responsibility, and in general they did it. They have become financially independent. ”
“We fundamentally changed the approach to the selection of managers,” says Ulyana Mikhailova. - Previously, sanatoriums were led by the head physicians. While the social insurance funds loaded our sanatoriums per 100 percent, no one thought about commercial activities as such. Literally at the first meetings, it became clear to me that these people are good doctors or organizers of events if we are talking about the tournament. But not businessmen. In this regard, we came to the conclusion that managers, business executives are needed. ”
A few years later, this approach, which Lev Schlosberg calls the “trade union-in-private partnership,” began to bear fruit: the sanatoriums began to earn decent money. And new managers - to receive decent bonuses. Ulyana Mikhailov, as a deputy of the Pskov Regional Assembly, should publish her family income, last year she and her husband - director of Khilovo Alexander Mikhailov - earned 9 million rubles for two.
The Deputy Chairman of the FNPR, Alexander Shershukov, did not deny that the monetary issue in the trade union elections matters: “The property that the former leaders of the Pskov Region Proff retained at the time of the election of Mikhailova did not effectively function. They were restarted, worked efficiently, bringing a greater economic benefit to the Pskov professional universal. But the institutions belong not only to the Pskov Region Proprf, but also by the FNPR. However, due to the features of the registration of these institutions, all profits were displayed in favor of the regional prophet, and the rest of the trade union structure was ignored. This annoyed, annoying and will annoy, ”the FNPR press service quoted Shershukova. However, later the FNPR Executive Committee specified that this is Shershukov’s personal opinion.
The head of the FNPR, Mikhail Shmakov, refused to comment on the Pskov province of his claims to the Pskov Oblov Prop.
Power
“Income? This is annoying, yes ... ”says Ulyana Mikhailova. But she is sure that the matter is not about money: the regional propront, thanks to financial independence, was able to ensure the political independence. “They do not go beyond the matrix where there is Vladimir Putin ,“ United Russia ”, the government, but all this time they formed a real agenda for the authorities,” Lev Schlosberg agrees.
By the mid-2010s, the team of Ulyana Mikhailova developed a new scheme of work: to identify the conflict situation and aggravate it on the eve of the next elections in order to get concessions from the authorities. “Conflicts should be designed, the trade union movement should not be afraid of this,” explained Ulyana Mikhailov “PG” back in 2017. - In no case do we wave up to power, we put forward exclusively economic requirements, and in all cases I can clearly formulate what we want, in relation to which category of employees, who are responsible for solving this social problem, where the maximum requirements are, where the average requirements that would satisfy all the parties. And there is a minimum bar that we must achieve without fail. ”
Andrei Khristevich left the post of deputy chairman after the FNPR Executive Committee did not support the candidacy of Ulyana Mikhailova. Photo: Timur Galimov / "PG"
In the track record of the Pskov trade unions in recent years, there are mass shares for indexing salaries to state employees and against the overestimation of the cadastral value of land plots, collecting signatures against pension reform, participation in rallies against the construction of the Titan-Polymer Needhics Plant under the Pskov plant and garbage training grounds. Due to the landfill in Porkhov, Ulyana Mikhailova broke out a conflict with the Pskov branch of the All-Russian Popular Front.
“Conflict design” in Mikhailovsky gave results. So, in September 2018, one of the largest enterprises of the region - Pskovpasazhiravtotrans - was headed by one of the managers of Mostransavto Nikolai Kiyanets. After that, dubious optimization began in the organization, and several of the most profitable flights were transferred to the Private company Startrans, affiliated with the kiyanz. The trade unions were the first to issue information to the public, the media and the prosecutor’s office became interested in it, which recognized the contracts between organizations illegal.
In December 2018, the Oblov PROSP held several briefings dedicated to the auto enterprise, and then brought about 600 people to the protest.
The confrontation lasted about six months, until the labor collective wrote an open letter in the name of the governor and the presidential envoy to the North -Western Federal District. A day later, Nikolai Kiyanets resigned.
Of course, the Pskov authorities could not like such activity of the trade union.
With the previous administration- Andrei Turchak -Ulyana Mikhailov somehow, but could find a common language: oddly enough, often the former governor of the Pskov region and the current secretary of the United Russia General Council accepted the terms of trade unions. “Turchak is Turchak: despite many questions, he knew how to speak and persuade,” Andrei Khristevich believes. - He worked with the trade unions, at first he met at all once every three months with an asset. And it was good feedback, because he managed to work out some of the questions before they went into a public plane. But Turchak had a team, and the [current governor of Mikhail] Vedernikov has a problem in the team - personnel are collected in pieces. ”
Attack
Last summer, three criminal cases were instituted at Ulyana Mikhailov and the Oblov Prof: about the work of a hydrochemical laboratory, on the payment of bonuses (including her husband) and about business trips.
One of the criminal cases concerned the official business trips of Ulyana Mikhailova: the investigators doubted that she went to trade union events and doubted that she had the right to pay high business trips (they reached 7 thousand rubles a day). Mikhailova provided documents that, by decision of the collegial body, you can pay such per diem, and presented witnesses who confirmed: it really was present at all trade union events. The case is investigated for 10 months, the prosecution was never brought.
Lev Schlosberg - about the support of Ulyana Mikhailova and criticism from the democratic camp
Regarding the activities of the chemical laboratory, investigators suspected Oblov Prof in illegal entrepreneurial activity, which allegedly did not correspond to the OKVED. Trade unions provided all the documentation, which confirmed that they were conducting their activities in accordance with the Charter and specified OKVED, now the investigation, according to Mikhailova, expects the results of the accounting examination. The case is investigated 11 months, the prosecution has not been charged.
The third criminal case is associated with the bonus of the heads of trade union institutions (sanatoriums): according to the investigation, high awards were paid illegally. The Oblovprof apparatus provided documents that the bonuses are paid in accordance with the financial results obtained, and the premiuming rules were approved by the Presidium. The case is being investigated for 10 months, the prosecution is not charged to anyone.
“Three criminal cases were instituted and in fact all colleagues, all industry trade unions gave evidence, including me personally,” says Igor Ivanov, deputy chairman of the Pskov regional union of innovative and small enterprises, who gained fame as a Cossack chieftain and a prolific author of statements to the competent authorities. When asked what role the regional administration played in his activities, Ivanov promises to answer “categorically, directly and accurately”: he, as well as other leaders and activists of political parties, was invited to the administration of domestic politics. But he did not hear any talk about preventing, besieging, or even taking off Mikhailov.
Since last fall, there were sluggish shootings with mutual accusations between the leadership of the trade union and the authorities (for example, here or here or here ), and this spring heavy artillery came up: officials accused the Khilovo sanatorium of violation of quarantine. Even the NTV film crew arrived to observe the actions of the auditors.
In parallel, the authorities promoted an alternative candidate for the chairmen of Oblovprof - Igor Ivanov ( the full teses of Ataman Igor Ivanov ) . He is a former policeman, heads the regional trade union of life support workers. The former supporter of Mikhailova turned into her criticism and opponent: “I haven’t been to Ulyana Aleksandrovna as a leader recently,” says Igor Ivanov. “She is a talented, charismatic person, but her trouble is that she never headed either the“ primary ”or the regional organization of trade unions.” Management style is “I”, and we think what should be - “we”.
Igor Ivanov and Ulyana Mikhailov. Photo: press service of the Pskov Region Prof.
Who are the "we", Igor Ivanov does not specify. Like his namesake, he assures that he has a dialogue with the authorities only on life support issues: housing and communal services during the coronavirus did not stop the work. Igor Ivanov believes that Mikhailova deliberately uses the conflict manner of management, which repels the authorities from trade unions, depriving the opportunity to conduct constructive negotiations: “Ulyana believes that the only effective method of resolving problematic issues is a conflict. And it is clear that the conflicts were and will be in the trade union environment, but, as we see, it is necessary to come out of them so that all parties are as satisfied as possible. ”
By May, after the leaders were replaced in two industry trade unions, it became clear that the alignment of the elections is really unpredictable: according to preliminary forecasts, the voices before voting were distributed 50 to 50. After that, Igor Ivanov’s supporters began to demand an open vote at the conference.
But, apparently, this was not enough to resolve the issue, so on May 27 the FNPR went to the extreme measure, “killing” all candidates except Igor Ivanov. According to the charter of Oblovprof, the candidate does not have the right to nominate the chairmen without the approval of the FNPR executive committee. It is important that this amendment was sold by the FNPR in 2015, against the backdrop of the conflict before the election of the chairman.
"The system does not tolerate emptiness"
Whether Igor Ivanov will become the new leader of the Pskov Regional Oblovprof, will be decided at the election conference on June 8. Voting can be disrupted if there is no quorum 2/3 of the number of trade union organizations and delegates or the only candidate will not gain 50 percent plus one vote. However, not everyone is sure that Ulyana Mikhailova needs to cling to a straw.
“The next year there are many important political campaigns, and I am sure that Ulyana Mikhailova will be partially electoically profitably show that they will be created with Oblov Prof for a year,” said Konstantin Vilkov, head of the Pskov branch of the Rodina party. - Now her hands are untied, she can and will prepare for new elections and protest projects, this is not the person who will simply leave the stage. It seems to me that with the displacement of Ulyana, the authorities received a momentary political benefit, the step is strategically incorrect - the absence of the deputy governor in domestic politics in the administration of the region also affected. As a result, the final losing in this situation is the head of the Pskov United Russia Alexander Kozlovsky , who can receive a potentially extremely strong opponent for the State Duma in the State Duma. ”
Igor Ivanov - on interaction with the administration of the Pskov region.
Andrei Khrishkevich is also sure that the authorities will ultimately lose from this decision: “Any person who will come here and will only hold the position of the regional administration, he will ruin the entire trade union movement. The option for the authorities, maybe good, but I would say "good" in quotation marks. Such a system does not tolerate emptiness. Alternative trade unions will appear, with which it will be much more difficult to agree. ”
Lev Schlosberg agrees with this position: “The base for independent trade unions is expanding. Why did the "Alliance of Doctors" shot so much now? Because they fell into a pain point. Why are independent trade unions of Boris Kravchenko shot? Because the idea is objectively in demand. If you come to official trade unions and they say to you: "Yes, we all understand, but we can’t do anything," well, then you are not needed. "