Currently, the third Workers’ Aid Convoy to Ukraine is taking place, organized among others by our sister union Inicjatywa Pracownicza (OZZ IP) from Poland. We support the convoy and call on you donate and talk about it with your friends and colleagues.
The war in Ukraine is far from over and it is essential to build reliable and long term connections to people on the ground. To support now and to fight together now but also after the war.
In the following, we share the call of the organizing International Network of Labor and Solidarity (ILNSS). The convoy has already arrived in Kryvyi Rih, but it will certainly not be the last.
Support the Third Workers’ Aid Convoy to Ukraine!
In 2022, independent trade unions from Brazil, France, Spain, Italy, UK, Lithuania, and Poland co-organized two Workers’ Aid Convoys to Ukraine.
May 29, 2023
In the second half of June 2023, The International Labour Network for Solidarity and Struggles (ILNSS) is organizing the 3rd Workers’ Aid Convoy to Ukraine.
During the convoy, needed goods will be delivered to different unions and different social and professional groups: the students in Lviv, the teachers in Kropyvnytskyi, the miners and metalworkers in Kryvyi Rih, and the railroad workers in Kyiv.
More about the Workers’ Aid Convoy
In 2022, independent trade unions from Brazil, France, Spain, Italy, UK, Lithuania, and Poland co-organized two Workers’ Aid Convoys to Ukraine. The convoys provided technical and medical supplies requested by the members of the labor resistance in Kryvyi Rih: power generators, walkie-talkies, first aid kits, sleeping bags, thermal clothing, tools, flashlights, bandages, and food. Each convoy was accompanied by international delegations and served as an opportunity to meet our Ukrainian comrades in person, get to know the situation on the spot and strengthen our cooperation.
Krivyi Rih is a center of iron-ore mining and steel processing of global importance. It is also a stronghold of the working class militancy. Throughout history, regardless of the political systems (Tsarist Russia, Soviet Union and independent Ukraine), the workers of Krivyi Rih participated in revolutionary and social struggles. Since the 1990s the city has regularly faced strikes and protests – the last one took place in 2021. June 2023 also marks the 60th anniversary of the 1963 popular uprising when people clashed with police and the army, occupied public buildings and attempted to create grassroots committees. The uprising was repressed by the Soviet authorities and as such appears as an important and untold part of local history.
For the last 15 months, the Kremlin has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine. Russian missiles and artillery shells bring death and destruction. In response, the Ukrainian working class is fighting back with guns in their hands. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian authorities are taking advantage of the war and martial law to implement more and more anti-worker and anti-social reforms. Ukrainian authorities encourage international companies to invest in Ukraine by promising them significant profits. These are the policies that turn the Ukrainian people into cheap labour, Ukrainian land into a commodity and Ukrainian infrastructure into one big special economic zone.
At the same time, thousands of workers, including trade unionists, are fighting on the front lines. It is primarily the working class that is fighting against the invaders. This sheds new light on the role unions are playing in the war and will play in post-war reconstruction. This could have major implications for the working class throughout Europe and beyond. It is in the interest of the workers world-wide that their Ukrainian brothers and sisters defeat the invading army, survive the war and continue their struggle for social justice.
Over the last months, there have been several student-led protests regarding social issues in Ukraine. A large number of students have been forced to flee their homes and universities and relocate to other cities without any resources or shelters. They have suffered losses of loved ones, friends, and colleagues due to bombings, and some of their universities have been destroyed. As a result, they are currently living in a state of constant tension and unpredictability. Due to the budget cuts and various scams, less profitable universities and their dormitories, which often house displaced students, are closed down. The way funding is distributed among universities is unclear, and there are suspicions of corruption within the Ministry of Education – the Minister of Education has recently resigned from his position.
The decision to send the 3rd Workers’ Aid Convoy to Ukraine was made as a result of our cooperation with Ukrainian unionists and activists. It is aimed at strengthening the working class resistance against the Russian imperialist invasion and the Ukrainian government’s anti-union and anti-social reforms during the war. We bring the requested aid directly to those who need them and we plan our actions together.
15 months into war, Ukrainian workers (those in the trenches and those in their hometowns) are still in need of technical equipment (power generators, drones, power supplies, GSM repeaters) and camping gear (sleeping bags, mattress, tents). They also need international solidarity in their struggle against the worsening living conditions.
Workers’ Aid Convoy to Ukraine is not only about providing the necessary goods. It is also about expressing direct solidarity with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters and connecting different struggles on the global level.
Our demands
– Solidarity with Ukraine’s armed and unarmed popular resistance against the Russian imperialist aggression!
– Down with anti-social reforms during and after the war!
– For the cancellation of Ukrainian international debt!
– For a post-war reconstruction to meet the working class needs not private profits!
– Confiscate the Ukrainian assets and property of all capitalist sponsors of Putin’s anti-people regime!Logistics and how to support
Shopping and shipping are coordinated by Inicjatywa Pracownicza (Workers’ Initiative) union from Poland. Transfers can be made directly to the Union’s bank account:
OZZ Inicjatywa Pracownicza
Volkswagen Bank direct
Rondo ONZ 1 00-124 Warszawa, woj. Mazowieckie,Polska
Code BIC/SWIFT: INGBPLPW
IBAN: PL88 2130 0004 2001 0577 6570 0001
TITLE: Donation to the Workers Aid ConvoyThe amounts received will be reported, as well as all the work that the 3rd Workers’ Aid Convoy carries out.