‘METRO Cash & Carry management’s attitude towards our trade unions has changed by now. They actually stopped preventing the workers from entering a trade union and appear to relate quite neutrally to this fact now,’ Chairman of Yekaterinburg Trade Networks Trade Union Alexander Brusnitsin said to UrBC.

Prior to this change, the trade union representatives used to complain that the company’s top executives were trying to create various obstacles that would make entering a trade union very hard for the workers. Allegedly, they even tried to exert psychological pressure on the employees. At the same time, Sverdlovsk Region Federation of Trade Unions’ labor inspection examined the labor conditions at METRO Cash & Carry in Yekaterinburg and detected a number of labor code violations.

‘All things considered, however, I cannot say this neutral position taken by the managers has made things any easier. It is still very difficult to cooperate or reach a compromise: the company’s managers do not prevent the trade union from operating but give it no support whatsoever,’ Brusnitsin added.